gumbo-limbo

[ guhm-boh-lim-boh ]

noun

, plural gum·bo-lim·bos.

1. a tropical American tree, Bursera simaruba, having reddish bark and yielding a sweet, aromatic resin used in varnishes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of gumbo-limbo¹

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40; of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Tucked back on a meandering driveway lined with gnarled gumbo-limbo trees and an elaborate garden, the lodge has grottoes with seating and a small private beach with kayaks for guests.

From Washington Post

Saw grass sweeps to the horizon, in a marshy expanse broken by islands of slash pines and gumbo-limbo trees.

From The New Yorker

We walked our bikes to the house and propped them against the trunk of a gumbo-limbo.

From Literature

Coldly, she turned away, and crossed to where the collie was beginning to weary of his fruitless efforts to climb the shinily smooth bark of the giant gumbo-limbo.

From Project Gutenberg

I sat up and saw my bike on the ground, a freshly snapped gumbo-limbo branch sticking out of the front spokes.

From Literature