Sapan
/səˈpæn/noun
A tropical tree, Caesalpinia sappan, whose reddish wood has been used as a dye and medicine.
Did you know?Sapan wood was historically used to produce a red dye and is closely related to the source of Brazilwood, another famous dye-producing tree.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-modern Southeast Asia
Austronesian
sibukaw
“A traditional name for the sappan tree in Philippine languages”
Medieval period
Malay
sepang
“The sappan tree or its red dye wood”
16th Century
Portuguese
sapão
“Sappan wood, encountered through Southeast Asian trade”
16th–17th Century
English
sappan
“The tropical dye-producing tree or its wood”
Modern English
English
sapan
“A variant spelling of sappan, the red-dye tree”
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