Meanings
plural bitterwoods
- countableuncountableJamaica quassia (Picrasma excelsa), native to the Caribbean
Synonyms: bitter ash, Jamaica quassiawood
- countableuncountableParadise tree (Simarouba glauca), native to Florida, the Caribbean and Central America
Synonyms & antonyms
nounquassia (Quassia amara)
nounJamaica quassia (Picrasma excelsa), native to the Caribbean
More synonyms by meaning
nounhandsome South American shrub or small tree having bright scarlet flowers and yielding a valuable fine-grained yellowish wood; yields the bitter drug quassia from its wood and bark
nounWest Indian tree yielding the drug Jamaica quassia
nounmedium to large tree of tropical North and South America having odd-pinnate leaves and long panicles of small pale yellow flowers followed by scarlet fruits
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Cite this entry
bitterwood. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bitterwood
“bitterwood.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bitterwood. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bitterwood,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bitterwood.
Source: bitterwood on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.