brazilwood

plural brazilwoods · alternative brasilwood · alternative brezel wood

1. uncountableusuallyA Brazilian timber tree (Paubrasilia echinata, syn. Caesalpinia echinata), used primarily to make bows for string instruments.
2. uncountableusuallyThe wood of this tree.

   He would take with him red brasilwood from the East Indies – a dye-wood that was so valued that when a few years later the Portuguese found it in the New World, they would name a country after it.

   2002, Victoria Finlay, Colour, Sceptre, published 2003, page 198

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   Sixthly, he manufactures in manner following a red writing ink, which is greatly superior to the common solutions from peach wood and Brazil wood, not only in permanent brilliancy of color, but also in its freedom from acid, and consequent fitness for use with steel pens.

   1847, editorial staff, “Patent Inks and Salts of Gold”, in Scientific American, series 1, Volume 3, Issue 10, page 80