buttonwood

[ buht-n-wood ]

noun

1. Chiefly Eastern New England. sycamore ( def 1 ).

buttonwood

/ ˈbʌtənˌwʊd /

noun

1. Also calledbuttonball a North American plane tree, Platanus occidentalis See plane tree
2. a small West Indian tree, Conocarpus erectus , with button-like fruits and heavy hard compact wood: family Combretaceae

Word History and Origins

Origin of buttonwood¹

An Americanism dating back to 1665–75; button + wood ¹

Example Sentences

But before ripping the trees out, they planted replacement conocarpus trees, or buttonwoods, nearby and gave them time to grow.

From Washington Post

Sycamores are also called buttonwoods because they’re good for making buttons.

From New York Times

The Bogans came to love the rough appeal of the buttonwood, named, supposedly, because Native Americans used its hard wood for buttons.

From Washington Post

Two buttonwood trees with crowns that poked above the scrub were “Big Bob” and “Little Bob.”

From Washington Post

White cherry trees and silvery buttonwood hedges lined the marble walkway, and security on this side of the bridge seemed decidedly more relaxed.

From Literature