A hard, translucent resin obtained from tropical trees, used to make varnish, incense, and jewelry.
From Spanish 'copal,' derived from Nahuatl (Aztec language) 'copalli,' referring to the sacred resin used in Mesoamerican rituals.
The Aztecs burned copal in religious ceremonies, and when Spanish colonizers arrived, they took the word and the actual substance back to Europe—copal became so valuable it drove part of the colonial trade economy.
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