wit els, noun phrase

/ˈvətɛls//ˈvɪtels/
Forms:
Also witte els, witte elze.
Origin:
Afrikaans, South African DutchShow more Afrikaans (earlier South African Dutch witte els), wit white + els alder.
The evergreen tree Platylophus trifoliatus of the wild alder family (the Cunoniaceae), found in forests and on river banks in the Western Cape; the wood of this tree; white els sense (a), see white adjective sense 2. See also els.
1822 W.J. Burchell Trav. I. 143The name of Witte Elze (White Alder) is applied to another tree (Weinmannia trifoliata) which naturally grows in the same kind of places as the common Alder.
1887 J.C. Brown Management of Crown Forests 237Timber valued standing. Per cubic foot...Witte Els.
1907 T.R. Sim Forests & Forest Flora 12Witte Els (Platylophus trifoliatus) and Coal Wood (Lachnostylis capensis) are endemic to this (sc. the Midland) Conservancy.
1934 C.P. Swart Supplement to Pettman. 194Wit Els, A tree growing in the Knysna forest that has a local reputation for being a good furniture timber. The wood has an indefinite brownish-yellowish colour with little or no figure.
1965 A. Gordon-Brown S. Afr. Heritage II. 7Other Cape woods used in old furniture..were olive wood, witte els, [etc.].
1974 Sunday Times 28 Sept. (Suppl.) 4The indigenous woods — yellowwood, stinkwood, rooi-els, wit-els — are becoming more and more rare and costly.
1987 J. Kench Cottage Furn. 20Local timbers used in tables included cedar, rooi-els and wit-els.
The evergreen tree Platylophus trifoliatus of the wild alder family (the Cunoniaceae), found in forests and on river banks in the Western Cape; the wood of this tree; white els sense (a), see white adjective sense 2.
Entry Navigation

Visualise Quotations

Quotation summary

Senses

18221987

Browse Related Words

By Category

Trees

By Origin

Afrikaans
witdoek, nounn.witgat, nounn.
Copyright © 2025 Dictionary Unit for South African English