‖geelhout, noun

/ˈxɪəlhəʊt/
Forms:
Also geele-houtt, geel kout.
Origin:
South African Dutch, DutchShow more South African Dutch, from Dutch geel yellow + hout wood.
yellowwood.
1790 [see yellowwood sense 1].
1795 C.R. Hopson tr. of C.P. Thunberg’s Trav. I. 169Geel-hout, or yellow wood (ilex crocea) is a large tree, the wood of which is very heavy..and is used for making tables.
1801 J. Barrow Trav. I. 133Trees of various kinds and dimensions; the most common was the geel hout or yellow wood, (taxus elongatus) erroneously called by Thunberg the ilex crocea.
1804 R. Percival Acct of Cape of G.H. 148Of the species peculiar to this country I have observed the geel hout: it grows to a very large size...The wood is of a bright yellow colour, and much used for furniture.
1824 W.J. Burchell Trav. II. 114Doors and tables, and the larger beams, were here observed to be all of Geelhout (Yellow-wood).
1831 S. Afr. Almanac & Dir. 187The Geel Hout (Taxus elongatus) or Yellow Wood..is used for all the purposes of house building. It is however greatly affected by the variations of the atmosphere, and by no means durable.
1834 T. Pringle Afr. Sketches 219The most common species was a tree greatly resembling the cedar in its external aspect, but belonging to a quite different genus, termed by the colonists geelhout, or yellow-wood (taxus elongata).
1953 Cape Argus 25 Feb. 9Eighty trees, including jakkals-bessie, geelhout, wild fig,..have been planted along Table Bay boulevard.
1981 S. Afr. Panorama July 48The bulk of the furniture is made of geelhout (yellowwood), one of South Africa’s most attractive woods with a satiny sheen and smooth grain.
Entry Navigation

Visualise Quotations

Quotation summary

Senses

17951981

Browse Related Words

By Category

Trees

By Origin

Dutch
geeldikkop, nounn.geelrys, nounn.
Copyright © 2025 Dictionary Unit for South African English