Wood may be damaged by one (5)
I believe the answer is:
ebony
'wood' is the definition.
(I know that ebony is a type of wood)
'damaged by one' is the wordplay.
'damaged' indicates anagramming the letters.
'by'+'one'='byone'
'byone' with letters rearranged gives 'EBONY'.
'may be' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for ebony that I've seen before include "Tree with blackish wood" , "Dark hardwood" , "Hard wood used for black piano keys and in cabinetwork" , "Tree having black wood" , "Very dark brown" .)