Walaba
/wəˈlæbə/noun
A tropical South American tree of the genus Eperua, especially Eperua falcata, valued for its durable timber.
Did you know?Walaba timber is famously resinous and durable, and the name also appears in variant forms such as wallaba and wacapou in English descriptions of Guianan trees.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-European Guianas
Indigenous Guianan language
wariba
“A recorded or reconstructed Indigenous source-form associated with the walaba tree; the precise source language is uncertain.”
17th–18th Century
Dutch/Guianan usage
walaba / wallaba
“Name used in colonial Guiana for the Eperua tree and its timber.”
18th Century
English
wallaba
“A tropical tree of the Guianas, especially Eperua falcata.”
19th Century
English
walaba
“A variant spelling of wallaba used in botanical and timber contexts.”
Modern English
English
walaba
“The tree or its commercially useful wood, also spelled wallaba.”