Daggerwood
/ˈdæɡərˌwʊd/noun
A West Indian tree, traditionally identified as Exostema caribaeum, whose hard wood was associated with dagger-making.
Did you know?The name is a straightforward descriptive compound rather than an occult term: historical dictionaries connect the tree’s exceptionally hard wood with the making of daggers or dagger-like implements.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*widhu-
“Tree or wood; the ancient root behind English wood.”
Proto-Germanic
Germanic
*widuz
“Wood or forest.”
Old English
Old English
wudu
“Wood, timber, or forest.”
Middle English
Middle English
dagger
“A short stabbing weapon; the word came through Old French or related medieval forms, with its deeper origin uncertain.”
Early Modern English
English
daggerwood
“A compound name for a hard-wooded West Indian tree.”
Modern English
English
daggerwood
“A tree commonly identified in historical dictionaries as Exostema caribaeum.”