catechu
[ kat-i-choo, -kyoo ]
noun
any of several astringent substances obtained from various tropical plants, especially from the wood of two East Indian acacias, Acacia catechu and A. suma: used in medicine, dyeing, tanning, etc.
Origin of catechu
11670–80; <New Latin <Portuguese; perhaps a conflation of Marathi kāt catechu and kāccu, with same sense, alleged to be <Malayalam; cashoo, cutch perhaps <Malay kacu<Malayalam, or a cognate Dravidian word
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British Dictionary definitions for catechu
catechu
cachou or cutch
/ (ˈkætɪˌtʃuː) /
noun
a water-soluble astringent resinous substance obtained from any of certain tropical plants, esp the leguminous tree Acacia catechu of S Asia, and used in medicine, tanning, and dyeing: See also gambier
Origin of catechu
1C17: probably from Malay kachu, of Dravidian origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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