iroko

Where does the word "iroko" come from? It comes from Yoruba ìrókò, and was adopted directly into English (1850s).

Iroko’s story begins in Yoruba: ìrókò meant “the iroko tree, regarded as sacred.” Named the large, sacred hardwood tree of the West African rainforest. It reached English by 1850s as iroko. Entered English through the colonial-era timber trade as the name for the wood, sold as "African teak". Today, iroko means a large West African hardwood tree, or the reddish-brown timber it produces.

1. Stage 1 · Yoruba · traditional ìrókò "the iroko tree, regarded as sacred", named the large, sacred hardwood tree of the West African rainforest.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1850s iroko "a West African hardwood tree and its timber", entered English through the colonial-era timber trade as the name for the wood, sold as "African teak".