lignum vitae
noun
lig·num vi·tae
ˌlig-nəm-ˈvī-tē 
plural lignum vitaes
1
: the very hard heavy wood of any of several tropical American guaiacums
2
: a tree yielding lignum vitae
Examples of lignum vitae in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Many were carved from lignum vitae, one of the world’s hardest woods.
—
Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Jan. 2024
The scents are created using native flowers — such as hibiscus, lignum vitae, elderflower — from St. Martin, Aruba, St. Thomas and other islands.
—Kavita Daswani, latimes.com, 3 Nov. 2017
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Jan. 2024
The scents are created using native flowers — such as hibiscus, lignum vitae, elderflower — from St. Martin, Aruba, St. Thomas and other islands.
—Kavita Daswani, latimes.com, 3 Nov. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Lignum vitae.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lignum%20vitae. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
lignum vitae
noun
lig·num vi·tae
ˌlig-nəm-ˈvīt-ē
plural lignum vitaes
1
: any of several tropical American trees of the genus Guaiacum with very hard heavy wood
especially
: either of two (G. officinale or G. sanctum) that are sources of guaiacum resin
2
: the wood of a lignum vitae
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share