The French word for cashew or mahogany wood; historically used to describe tropical hardwoods and products from trees of the cashew family.
From French acajou, borrowed from Portuguese 'acajú' or 'caju,' which came from Tupi (a Brazilian indigenous language) 'acayú,' referring to the cashew fruit and tree. The term extended to describe similar tropical woods.
The word 'acajou' traveled from Brazilian indigenous languages through Portuguese to French and eventually influenced woodworking terminology across Europe, showing how European colonial trade networks literally imported indigenous vocabulary along with exotic goods.
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