- the fragrant heartwood of any of certain Asian trees of the genus Santalum, used for ornamental carving and burned as incense.
- any of these trees, especially S. album(white sandalwood ), an evergreen of India, having ovate leaves and yellowish flowers that turn red.
- any of various related or similar trees or their woods, especially an East Indian tree, Pterocarpus santalinus(red sandalwood ), of the legume family, or its heavy dark-red wood that yields a dye.
- any of several evergreen hemiparasitic trees of the genus Santalum, esp S. album (white sandalwood), of S Asia and Australia, having hard light-coloured heartwood: family Santalaceae
- the wood of any of these trees, which is used for carving, is burned as incense, and yields an aromatic oil used in perfumery
- any of various similar trees or their wood, esp Pterocarpus santalinus (red sandalwood), a leguminous tree of SE Asia having dark red wood used as a dye
