Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

bois d'arc

 - 3 dictionary results

bois d'arc

[boh dahrk]
–noun, plural bois d'arcs, bois d'arc. Louisiana French.
Osage orange (def. 1).

Origin:
1795–1805, Americanism; < LaF: lit., bow wood

Osage orange

–noun
1. Also called bois d'arc, bowwood. a tree, Maclura pomifera, of the mulberry family, native to the south-central U.S., having hard, yellowish wood and often cultivated for hedges.
2. the round, rough-skinned, inedible fruit of this tree.

Origin:
1810–20
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To bois d'arc
Encyclopedia

bois d'arc

(Maclura pomifera), thorny tree with large, yellow-green, wrinkled fruit and a milky sap that can produce dermatitis in humans. It is the only species of its genus in the mulberry family (Moraceae). It is native to the south-central United States but has been planted extensively farther north in the Mississippi River valley and at points east of there.

Learn more about bois d'arc with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see bois d'arc on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: