quassia









quassia


quassia [kwosh-uh, -ee-uh] ExamplesWord Origin noun

  1. 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.
  2. any of several other trees having bitter-tasting wood.
  3. 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?

    Fernley House

    Laura E. Richards

  • One third of a pint of quassia to which add a tablespoonful of rocksalt.

    Ulysses

    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.

    The Seven Curses of London

    James Greenwood

  • British Dictionary definitions for quassia quassia noun

    1. any tree of the tropical American simaroubaceous genus Quassia, having bitter bark and wood
    2. the bark and wood of Quassia amara and of a related tree, Picrasma excelsa, used in furniture making
    3. 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

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