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gutta-percha

 - 6 dictionary results

gut⋅ta-per⋅cha

  [guht-uh-pur-chuh]
Use gutta-percha in a Sentence
–noun
1. the milky juice, nearly white when pure, of various Malaysian trees of the sapodilla family, esp. Palaquium gutta.
2. the tough, rubberlike gum made from this and used as a dental cement, in the manufacture of golf balls, for insulating electric wires, etc.
Origin:
1835–45; < Malay gətah (sp. getah) tree sap + perca rag, strip of cloth; perh. so called from the appearance of the sap (Malay getah taban) in its marketed form
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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gut·ta-per·cha   (gŭt'ə-pûr'chə)   
n.  A rubbery substance derived from the latex of any of several tropical trees of the genera Palaquium and Payena, used as an electrical insulator, as a waterproofing compound, and in golf balls.

[Malay getah perca : getah, sap + perca, strip of cloth (from Hindi pārcā, from Persian pārche, probably diminutive of pāre, from Middle Persian pārang).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

gutta-percha 
1845, from Malay getah percha, lit. "the gum of percha, the name of the tree.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: gut·ta–per·cha
Pronunciation: "g&t-&-'p&r-ch&
Function: noun
: a tough plastic substance from the latex ofseveral Malaysian trees (genera Payena and Palaquium) of the sapodilla family (Sapotaceae) that resembles rubber but contains more resin and is used in dentistry in temporary fillings
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

gutta-percha gut·ta-per·cha (gŭt'ə-pûr'chə)
n.
A rubbery substance from the latex of any of several tropical trees, used as a temporary filling material in dentistry and in the manufacture of orthopedic splints.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia

gutta-percha

yellowish or brownish leathery material derived from the latex of certain trees in Malaysia, the South Pacific, and South America, especially Palaquium oblongifolia and, formerly, P. gutta. To obtain the latex, the tree may be felled and rings cut in the bark; in plantation cultivation the fresh leaves are gathered, chopped, and crushed. The mass is boiled in water and the gum removed and pressed into blocks

Learn more about gutta-percha with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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