tragacanth

trag·a·canth   (trāg'ə-kānth', trāj'-)    n.   Any of various thorny shrubs of the genus Astragalus, especially A. gummifer, of the Middle East, yielding a gum used in pharmacy, adhesives, and textile printing. The gum of this plant. [Latin tragacantha, from Greek tragakantha : tragos, goat + akantha, thorn.]

Main Entry: trag·a·canth
Pronunciation: 'traj-&-"kan(t)th, 'trag-, -k&n(t)th; also 'trag-&-"san(t)th
Function: noun
: a gumobtained from various Asian or East European leguminous plants (genus Astragalus and especially A. gummifer) that swells in water and is used as an emulsifying, suspending, and thickeningagent and as a demulcent called also gum tragacanth, hog gum