Meaning & use
nogal wood
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Meaning
noununcountable
The hard, dark, richly grained wood of the nogal tree (a type of walnut native to Mexico and Central America), used for furniture and carving.
Grammar: Uncountable: say 'a piece of nogal wood', not 'a nogal wood'.
Patterns
- made of nogal wood
- a piece of nogal wood
The artisan carved the bowl from a single block of nogal wood.
Nogal wood is prized for its deep color and fine grain.
They finished the table with oil to bring out the beauty of the nogal wood.
Word forms
| plural | nogal woods |
|---|
Common combinations
- nogal wood furniture
- The shop specializes in handcrafted nogal wood furniture.
- solid nogal wood
- The doors are made of solid nogal wood.
- nogal wood carving
- Nogal wood carving is a traditional craft in the region.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Mexican walnut
- A common English name for the same wood; 'nogal wood' is more specific to Spanish-speaking regions.
- walnut
- A broader term for wood from any walnut tree; nogal wood is a particular type.
Word family
- nogal noun
- The tree itself, or its wood, especially in Mexican Spanish contexts.
Commonly confused: nogal wood or nog?
nogal wood vs nog
A nog is a strong alcoholic drink, or a wooden peg; not related to nogal wood.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'nogal wood' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Nogal wood' is uncountable, so it takes no article in this generic sense. 'A nogal wood' is wrong because you cannot count it that way; 'nogal woods' would suggest different types or forests, and 'the nogal wood' would refer to a specific known piece, which is not the case here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nogal wood”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.