Spanish elm spa·nis·helm uncommon noun 1. tropical American timber tree SynonymsprincewoodSpanish elmCordia gerascanthus 2. large tropical American tree of the genus Cordia grown for its abundant creamy white flowers and valuable wood SynonymsSpanish elmEquador laurelsalmwoodcypreprincewoodCordia alliodora Related words Broader terms angiospermous treetree Parts Cordia WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved.