A tropical tree that produces a dark, dense resin used in varnishes and as a traditional medicine.
From Spanish 'guayaco,' borrowed from Taíno (Caribbean indigenous language) 'guayacán.' The word traveled through Spanish colonization and European trade routes in the 16th-17th centuries.
This word traces the spice trade itself—when European colonizers reached the Caribbean, they encountered this tree and literally borrowed its indigenous name, which spread across European languages as trade in its valuable resin became profitable.
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