mahogany Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun wood of any of various mahogany trees; much used for cabinetwork and furniture
  2. noun any of various tropical timber trees of the family Meliaceae especially the genus Swietinia valued for their hard yellowish- to reddish-brown wood that is readily worked and takes a high polish
    mahogany tree.
  3. noun a shade of brown with a tinge of red
    Venetian red; sepia; reddish brown; burnt sienna.

WordNet

Ma*hog"a*ny noun
Etymology
From the South American name.
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A large tree of the genus Swietenia (S. Mahogoni), found in tropical America. ✍ Several other trees, with wood more or less like mahogany, are called by this name; as, African mahogany (Khaya Senegalensis), Australian mahogany (Eucalyptus marginatus), Bastard mahogany (Batonia apetala of the West Indies), Indian mahogany (Cedrela Toona of Bengal, and trees of the genera Soymida and Chukrassia), Madeira mahogany (Persea Indica), Mountain mahogany, the black or cherry birch (Betula lenta), also the several species of Cercocarpus of California and the Rocky Mountains.
  2. The wood of the Swietenia Mahogoni. It is of a reddish brown color, beautifully veined, very hard, and susceptible of a fine polish. It is used in the manufacture of furniture.
  3. A table made of mahogany wood. Colloq.

Webster 1913