gutta-percha

American  

[guht-uh-pur-chuh] / ˈgʌt əˈpɜr tʃə /

noun

1. the milky juice, nearly white when pure, of various Malaysian trees of the sapodilla family, especially 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.

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gutta-percha British  

/ ˈɡʌtəˈpɜːtʃə /

noun

1. any of several tropical trees of the sapotaceous genera Palaquium and Payena, esp Palaquium gutta

2. a whitish rubber substance derived from the coagulated milky latex of any of these trees: used in electrical insulation and dentistry

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Etymology

Origin of gutta-percha

1835–45; < Malay gətah (spelling getah ) tree sap + perca rag, strip of cloth; perhaps so called from the appearance of the sap ( Malay getah taban ) in its marketed form

Example Sentences

Gutta percha, for instance, is pliable and tough though not very elastic.

From Creative Chemistry Descriptive of Recent Achievements in the Chemical Industries by Slosson, Edwin E.

Gutta percha was also exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 6 "Groups, Theory of" to "Gwyniad" by Various

Gutta percha, however, is used for few and special purposes, and there is no free market, the price being chiefly a matter of arrangement between the chief producers and consumers.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 6 "Groups, Theory of" to "Gwyniad" by Various

Gutta percha muscles are added in succession, till finally he has the whole form.

From Sunny Memories of Foreign Lands, Volume 2 by Stowe, Harriet Beecher

Gutta percha trees often attain a height of 70 to 100 ft. and the trunk has a diameter of from 2 to 3 ft.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 6 "Groups, Theory of" to "Gwyniad" by Various