Rosewood
/ˈroʊzˌwʊd/noun
A hard, often fragrant wood from several tropical trees, especially valued for furniture and decorative work.
Did you know?The famous “rose” in rosewood usually refers to the reddish color or rose-like scent of the timber, not to actual roses, and the name was attached by European traders to several unrelated tropical woods.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁reudʰ-
“to be red, ruddy”
Old English
English
rōse
“rose, the flower”
Old English
English
wudu
“wood, tree, timber”
16th Century
English
rose-wood
“wood resembling a rose in color or scent”
Modern English
English
rosewood
“hard decorative wood from rosewood trees”