rooihout S. Afr.
(ˈrɔɪhəʊt)
Also roodehout, roye-houtt.
[Afrikaans, f. rooi red + hout wood.]
One of several trees with reddish wood, esp. the Cape plane, Ochna arborea, or its wood. Also attrib.
| 1790 E. Helme tr. Le Vaillant's Trav. Afr. II. xiv. 288 Another tree, called Roye-houtt, (red wood) so named from its deep red colour, grows very thick. 1896 E. Clairmonte Africander i. 2 A flock of long-tailed house birds..would dash past to settle in a rooihout tree. 1907 T. R. Sim Forests & Forest Flora Cape of Good Hope xiv. 163 Cape Plane..Roodehout. 1973 Eastern Province Herald (Port Elizabeth) 28 May 13/2 No self-respecting woodcutter would have the handle of his axe made from any timber other than ‘rooihout’ (Cape plane) a reddish close grained wood. |