wallaba

[ wol-uh-buh ]

noun

1. any of several trees belonging to the genus Eperua, of the legume family, native to the Guianas and northern Brazil.
2. the hard, heavy wood of any of these trees, used in the construction of buildings.

Word History and Origins

Origin of wallaba¹

Borrowed into English from Arawak around 1815–25

Example Sentences

While its magic and whimsy come from its design, the treehouse’s warmth radiates from the wood: repurposed live oak, juniper, red cedar and wallaba shingles.

From Washington Times

Wallaba, wol′a-ba, n. a Guiana tree with winged leaves and streaked reddish wood.

From Project Gutenberg

Here the finest green-heart grows, and wallaba, purple-heart, siloabali, sawari, buletre, tauronira, and mora, are met with in vast abundance, far and near, towering up in majestic grandeur, straight as pillars sixty or seventy feet high, without a knot, or branch.

From Project Gutenberg

Behold that newly fallen wallaba! 

From Project Gutenberg

The second size, all golden green on the back, must be looked for in the wallaba forest. 

From Project Gutenberg