A Philippine tree that produces dark, hard wood used in construction and crafts, also known as mabolo.
From Tagalog or another Philippine language. The word entered English through colonial trade and documentation of Philippine resources in the 19th-20th centuries.
Camagon wood is so dense and dark that early colonizers thought it was ebony—it was their 'fake ebony' substitute, but it's actually just as valuable and beautiful, showing how colonial naming was often about comparison rather than accuracy.
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