vetiver

[vet-uh-ver]

vet·i·ver

[vet-uh-ver]
noun
1.
the long, fibrous, aromatic roots of an East Indian grass, Vetiveria zizanioides, used for making hangings and screens and yielding an oil used in perfumery.
2.
Also called khus-khus. the grass itself.

Origin:
1840–50; < Tamil veṭṭivēr
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Vetiver is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
Collins
World English Dictionary
vetiver (ˈvɛtɪvə)
 
n
1.  a tall hairless grass, Vetiveria zizanioides, of tropical and subtropical Asia, having aromatic roots and stiff long narrow ornamental leaves
2.  the root of this plant used for making screens, mats, etc, and yielding a fragrant oil used in perfumery, medicine, etc
 
[C19: from French vétiver, from Tamil vettivẽru]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

vetiver

perennial grass of the family Poaceae, native to tropical Asia and also introduced into the tropics of both hemispheres. Its thick, fragrant roots contain an oil used in perfumes. It is planted as hedges in some areas. In others it has escaped cultivation and become a weed

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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