Mahogany is a beautiful, strong wood prized for fine furniture, musical instruments, and luxury items. The word comes from trees in the mahogany family that grow in tropical regions, particularly Central America, South America, and Africa. When freshly cut, mahogany has a reddish-brown color that deepens and becomes even richer over time.

Cabinetmakers and furniture builders love mahogany because it's easy to work with and naturally resists rotting and warping. Many of the finest desks, dining tables, and bookshelves from the 1700s and 1800s were crafted from mahogany, and some of these pieces still look magnificent today. The wood's durability and gorgeous grain patterns made it especially popular for ship interiors and important furniture in government buildings. Guitar makers prize mahogany for its warm, resonant tone.

People also use mahogany to describe colors that match the wood's distinctive reddish-brown hue. Someone might describe a polished table, a horse's coat, or even a hair color as mahogany.

Because mahogany became so valuable and popular, some species were overharvested. Today, genuine mahogany can be expensive, and many mahogany species are protected to prevent them from disappearing.