sterculia

[ stur-kyoo-lee-uh ]

noun
  1. any of various tropical trees of the genus Sterculia, of which some species are grown as ornamentals and some are the source of commercially valuable wood.

Origin of sterculia

1
1765–75; <New Latin, equivalent to Latin Stercul(us) a Roman deity supposed to have invented manuring (derivative of stercus manure, excrement) + ia-ia; from the fetid odor of the blossoms of certain species

Words Nearby sterculia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sterculia in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sterculia

sterculia

/ (stɜːˈkjuːlɪə) /


noun
  1. a dietary fibre used as a food stabilizer and denture adhesive. It is the dried gum tapped from the trunk and stems of the tree Sterculia urens, native to Central India and Pakistan

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