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Iroko

2 stages from Yoruba to English.

Today it means a large West African hardwood tree, or the reddish-brown timber it produces

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

1
Stage 1 of 2
ìrókò
Yoruba · traditional
"the iroko tree, regarded as sacred"
named the large, sacred hardwood tree of the West African rainforest
2
Stage 2 of 2
iroko
English · 1850s
"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"
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