A large tropical South American tree that produces valuable hardwood and oil, also called the star-nut tree or Calophyllum calaba.
From Spanish and Portuguese colonial names for Caribbean trees, likely derived from indigenous Carib or Taíno languages. The word entered English through tropical trade and natural history documentation.
The calaba tree produces seeds arranged in a perfect star pattern, which is why it's called the star-nut tree, and its incredibly hard wood is so dense it can sink in water!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.