Indonesian rosewood

Meanings

1. 1noununcountabletechnical

   A dark, heavy, reddish-brown wood from certain Southeast Asian trees, valued for furniture and musical instruments.

   Grammar: Names of woods and materials are uncountable: made of Indonesian rosewood, not 'made of an Indonesian rosewood'.

   Patterns

   • made of Indonesian rosewood
   • a table in Indonesian rosewood
   • Indonesian rosewood furniture

   The guitar's back and sides are made of Indonesian rosewood, which gives it a warm tone.

   Antique dealers often label dark nineteenth-century chairs as Indonesian rosewood, though the wood may come from elsewhere.

   Trade in Indonesian rosewood has been restricted because several source species are now endangered.

2. 2nouncountable or uncountabletechnicalbiology

   Any of the Southeast Asian trees that produce this timber, especially species of the genus Dalbergia.

   Grammar: As a tree it can be countable (an Indonesian rosewood) or, collectively, uncountable (plantations of Indonesian rosewood).

   Patterns

   • plant Indonesian rosewood
   • Indonesian rosewood trees
   • logging of Indonesian rosewood

   Villagers planted Indonesian rosewood along the road as a long-term cash crop.

   Illegal logging of Indonesian rosewood has fallen since export rules were tightened.

Word forms

Common combinations

solid Indonesian rosewood

The cabinet is solid Indonesian rosewood, not a veneer.

Indonesian rosewood veneer

Cheaper desks use an Indonesian rosewood veneer over pine.

Indonesian rosewood guitar

He plays an Indonesian rosewood guitar with a spruce top.

trade in Indonesian rosewood

International trade in Indonesian rosewood is monitored under wildlife rules.

Synonyms and how they differ

rosewood

The general term for any dark, fragrant timber of this type; it is broader and does not say where the wood came from.

Indian rosewood

A closely related timber from South Asia, often sold for similar uses; the two are frequently confused in furniture listings.

timber

British English for wood used in building or furniture; it is a general material word, not a specific species.

Word family

rosewood noun

The general name for this family of dark, hard woods.

wood noun

The material that comes from trees and is used for building.

hardwood noun

Wood from a broad-leaved tree, the category that includes rosewoods.

Commonly confused: Indonesian rosewood or Indian rosewood? Indonesian rosewood or teak?

Practice

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