Meanings
plural bois d'arcs
- countableuncountableAn Osage orange tree, of species Maclura pomifera, or wood of this tree.
The bois d'arc seems to be the characteristic growth of the black prairies.
1880, US Census, (Please provide the book title or journal name)2 more examples
Eliza liked to be able to get up from her bed or the little chair from her former apartment and climb the two steps into the bluecarpeted livingroom and be able to see the bois d’arcs standing sturdily along the line of the front walk.
1987, Terry, Marshall, Ringer, Corona Pub. Co., page 227We carried the big ohapuupi seeds with us, planting them anywhere they might grow, and as this had been done by the various tribes for hundreds or maybe thousands of years, bois d'arc trees were found all along the plains.
2013, Philipp Meyer, The Son, Simon & Schuster, published 2014, page 107
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn Osage orange tree, of species Maclura pomifera, or wood of this tree.
Origin
- Frenchbois d'arc“bow wood”
- Englishbois d'arc
Borrowed from French bois d'arc (“bow wood”). So called because it was used for bows by the Indians of western North America.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
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Cite this entry
bois d'arc. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bois%20d'arc
“bois d'arc.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bois%20d'arc. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bois d'arc,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bois%20d'arc.
Source: bois d'arc on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.