Nahar
/ˈnɑː.hɑːr/noun
An East Indian evergreen tree, Mesua ferrea, valued for its exceptionally hard timber and fragrant flowers.
Did you know?Nahar is associated with Mesua ferrea, also called Ceylon ironwood, whose flowers have been used in traditional South Asian medicine and ritual contexts.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-modern South Asia
Indo-Aryan languages
nahar / nahor
“Regional names for the Mesua ferrea tree”
Medieval–Early Modern period
Hindi and Assamese
nāhar / nahor
“The nahar or ironwood tree”
19th Century
Anglo-Indian English
nahar
“A South Asian tree identified with Mesua ferrea”
19th–20th Century
English
nahar
“An East Indian evergreen tree prized for hard timber”
Modern English
English
nahar
“Mesua ferrea, commonly known as Ceylon ironwood”