assegai wood, noun phrase

/ˈæsəɡaɪ ˌwʊd/
Origin:
EnglishShow more assegai noun + English wood; so named as their wood was thought to have been commonly used to make spears.
The wood of the trees Curtisea dentata of the Cornaceae and Grewia occidentalis of the Tiliaceae; the trees themselves; assegai noun sense 2; hassagai hout. See also kruisbessie.
1795 C.R. Hopson tr. of C.P. Thunberg’s Trav. I. 181The spear is fastened with thongs of leather to a slender round stick, five feet long, made of the Assagay wood (Curtisia faginea), and tapering towards the end.
1804 R. Percival Acct of Cape of G.H. 148The hasagay wood is much used for wagon wheels, rafters for houses...It resembles mahogany, and the planks make excellent flooring for houses.
1812 A. Plumptre tr. of H. Lichtenstein’s Trav. in Sn Afr. (1928) I. 270A short stick of Hassagai wood, so cut, that a knob is made at the end by a part of the thick root of this stem. [Note] Curtisea faginea, a wood something of the nature of mahogany.
1896 R. Wallace Farming Indust. of Cape Col. 123Assegai wood is the most valuable of the waggon woods...It is ‘extremely tough and strong, heavy and elastic, close-grained and durable, if exposed to only moderate damp.’ The colour is bright red, but it soon fades if exposed to the air.
1917 R. Marloth Dict. of Common Names of Plants 8Assegai-wood, Curtisia faginea. A large handsome tree with beautiful foliage. Wood tough and strong, highly esteemed for wagons.
1931 V. Sampson Kom Binne 139The kerrie..was made of hard assegai-wood, a most dangerous bludgeon.
1958 S. Cloete Mask 84This wagon..was heavy and immensely strong, being built of selected and seasoned assegai wood, wild pear, blackwood, stink- and iron-wood.
1971 L.G. Green Taste of S.-Easter 45Assegai-wood, hard as oak and like mahogany in appearance, made handsome furniture.
1989 Conserva Vol.4 No.4, 4The wood of species like yellow-wood, stinkwood, assegai and ironwood, names to conjure with, was in everyday use for buildings, farm implements, the wagons and carts of pioneers, in the early mines, and even as firewood.
The wood of the trees Curtisea dentata of the Cornaceae and Grewia occidentalis of the Tiliaceae; the trees themselves; assegai noun sense 2; hassagai hout.
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English
assegai, verb transitivev.Assocom, nounn.
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