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
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
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lignum vitae.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Lignum vitae.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lignum%20vitae. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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
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