teak

• POS: Noun

CIDE DICTIONARY

teak, n. [Malayalam tekku.].

 A tree of East Indies (Tectona grandis) which furnishes an extremely strong and durable timber highly valued for shipbuilding and other purposes; also, the timber of the tree.  [1913 Webster]

African teak, a tree (Oldfieldia Africana) of Sierra Leone; also, its very heavy and durable wood; -- called also African oak. -- New Zeland teak, a large tree (Vitex littoralis) of New Zeland; also, its hard, durable timber.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

teak, n.
1 a large deciduous tree, Tectona grandis, native to India and SE Asia.
2 its hard durable timber, much used in shipbuilding and furniture.

Etymology

Port. teca f. Malayalam tekka