lignum vitae

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈlɪɡnəm ˈvaɪtɪ/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(lig′nəm vī′tē, vē′tī)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
lig•num vi•tae  (lig′nəm vī′tē, vē′tī),USA pronunciation 
  1. Plant Biologyeither of two tropical American trees, Guaiacum officinale or G. sanctum, of the caltrop family, having very hard, heavy wood.
  2. the wood of such a tree, used for making pulley blocks, mallet heads, bearings, etc.
  3. Plant Biologyany of several other trees yielding a similar hard wood.
  • Neo-Latin, Late Latin, name of the tree, literally, wood of life
  • 1585–95

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
lignum vitae /ˈlɪɡnəm ˈvaɪtɪ/ n
  1. either of two zygophyllaceous tropical American trees, Guaiacum officinale or G. sanctum, having blue or purple flowers
  2. the heavy resinous wood of either of these trees, which is used in machine bearings, casters, etc: formerly thought to have medicinal properties

See also guaiacumEtymology: New Latin, from Late Latin, literally: wood of life
'lignum vitae' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
guaiacum - caltrop family

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