Lignum-vitae

enUK

Lig´num-vi´tae

(lĭg´nŭm vī´tē)
n.1.(Bot.) A tree (Guaiacum officinale) found in the warm latitudes of America, from which the guaiacum of medicine is procured. Its wood is very hard and heavy, and is used for various mechanical purposes, as for the wheels of ships' blocks, cogs, bearings, and the like. See Guaiacum.