copal
UK /ˈkəʊp(ə)l/ · US /ˈkoʊpəl/ noun
Forms copals
- noun A resinous exudation from various tropical trees, especially Hymenaea courbaril and Schinus terebinthifolia, used chiefly in making varnishes and printing ink.
- noun Any of certain trees of the genus Bursera, commonly used in wood-carving.
Etymology
From Spanish copal, from Classical Nahuatl copalli (“incense”).
Webster’s 1913
- A resinous substance flowing spontaneously from trees of Zanzibar, Madagascar, and South America (Trachylobium Hornemannianum, T. verrocosum, and Hymenæa Courbaril), and dug from earth where forests have stood in Africa; --used chiefly in making varnishes. Ur
Etymology [Sp., fr. Mexican copalli, Clavigero.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “copal”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details