quillai

[ ki-lahy ]

noun

1. soapbark ( def 1 ).

quillai

/ kɪˈlaɪ /

noun

1. another name for soapbark

Word History and Origins

Origin of quillai¹

First recorded in 1710–20; from South American Spanish, from Araucanian quillai, quillay “soapbark tree”

Word History and Origins

Origin of quillai¹

C19: via American Spanish from Araucanian

Example Sentences

It was impossible for me to keep pace with the additional lore of my genial informant�hair displacing scales on aged fish, the spinning of a fine yarn from the undigested fibre of the quillai tree, squeezed from the sapo like fishing-gut from silk worms�even by swift thinking.

From Time Magazine Archive

When the female is ready to spawn he locates a quillai tree and, flipping himself into an overhanging branch, tears off a twig and drops back into the water with it.

From Time Magazine Archive

Quillai or Cully of the Chilians.

From Project Gutenberg

Instead of soap, they used the back of the quillai, which is an excellent substitute.

From Project Gutenberg