tragacanth
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trag·a·canth
(trăg′ə-kănth′, trăj′-)n.
1. Any of several spiny Asian shrubs of the genus Astragalus of the pea family, especially A. gummifer, of the Middle East, yielding a gum used in pharmaceuticals, adhesives, and textile printing, and as an emulsifier and thickener in foods.
2. The gum of any of these plants.
[Latin tragacantha, from Greek tragakantha : tragos, goat (probably from the resemblance of the drops of hardened gum to tiny goat horns in shape, color, and texture when they are collected off the plant); see tragic + akantha, thorn, spine.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
tragacanth
(ˈtræɡəˌkænθ)n
1. (Plants) any of various spiny leguminous plants of the genus Astragalus, esp A. gummifer, of Asia, having clusters of white, yellow, or purple flowers, and yielding a substance that is made into a gum
2. (Plants) the gum obtained from any of these plants, used in the manufacture of pills and lozenges, etc
[C16: from French tragacante, from Latin tragacantha goat's thorn, from Greek tragakantha, from tragos goat + akantha thorn]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
trag•a•canth
(ˈtræg əˌkænθ, ˈtrædʒ-)n.
a gum of various Asian shrubs belonging to the genus Astragalus, of the legume family, used as a filler, as in pills, and to stiffen calico.
[1565–75; < Latin tragacantha goat's thorn < Greek tragákantha=trág(os) goat + ákantha thorn]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Noun | 1. | ![]() gum - any of various substances (soluble in water) that exude from certain plants; they are gelatinous when moist but harden on drying |
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