A large hardwood tree native to the Philippines and Southeast Asia, valued for its durable timber used in construction and shipbuilding.
From Tagalog 'apitong,' the name of the tree in its native region. The word entered English through colonial and trade contacts with the Philippines in the 19th-20th centuries.
Apitong wood is so dense and rot-resistant that it's been used for railroad ties, dock pilings, and ship hulls—colonial traders literally built empires on this tree!
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