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quassia
[ kwosh-uh, -ee-uh ]
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.
quassia
/ ˈkwɒʃə /
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
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of quassia1
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Example Sentences
Quassia, kwash′i-a, n. a South American tree, the bitter wood and bark of which are used as a tonic.
From six to eight ounces of the infusion of quassia is then passed, as high up as the catheter will reach.
I have tasted rue, I have tasted aloes, I have tasted quassia, and I have nearly died of squills.
Bitter substances, like commercial aloes and quassia, are useless against rabbits.
His laugh was bitter as quassia; he turned his head toward the sound of the automobile horn that summoned him.
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