quassia [kwosh-uh, -ee-uh] ExamplesWord Origin noun
- a shrub or small tree, Quassia amara, of tropical America, having pinnate leaves, showy red flowers, and wood with a bitter taste.Compare quassia family.
- any of several other trees having bitter-tasting wood.
- Also called bitterwood. Chemistry, Pharmacology. a prepared form of the heartwood of any of these trees, used as an insecticide and in medicine as a tonic to dispel intestinal worms.
Origin of quassia 1755–65; New Latin, named after Quassi, 18th-century slave in Dutch Guiana who discovered its medicinal properties; see -ia Examples from the Web for quassia Historical Examples of quassia
Steam this slowly for an hour, then add thirty drops Quassia.
One Thousand Secrets of Wise and Rich Men Revealed
C. A. Bogardus
Now, a little shower of quassia, just to freshen you up; eh?
Laura E. Richards
One third of a pint of quassia to which add a tablespoonful of rocksalt.
James Joyce
The lupulin sold to brewers is largely adulterated with quassia.
Cooley’s Practical Receipts, Volume II
Arnold Cooley
Quassia is the name of a tree which grows in America and the West Indies.
James Greenwood
British Dictionary definitions for quassia quassia noun
- any tree of the tropical American simaroubaceous genus Quassia, having bitter bark and wood
- the bark and wood of Quassia amara and of a related tree, Picrasma excelsa, used in furniture making
- a bitter compound extracted from this bark and wood, formerly used as a tonic and anthelmintic, now used in insecticides
Word Origin for quassia C18: from New Latin, named after Graman Quassi, a slave who discovered (1730) the medicinal value of the root