kamala

American  

[kuh-mey-luh, kam-uh-luh, kuhm-] / kəˈmeɪ lə, ˈkæm ə lə, ˈkʌm- /

noun

1. a powder from the capsules of an East Indian tree, Mallotus philippinensis, of the spurge family, used as a yellow dye and in medicine as an anthelmintic.

---

kamala British  

/ ˈkæmələ, kəˈmɑːlə /

noun

1. an East Indian euphorbiaceous tree, Mallotus philippinensis

2. a powder obtained from the seed capsules of this tree, used as a dye and formerly as a worm powder

---

Etymology

Origin of kamala

Borrowed into English from Sanskrit around 1810–20

Example Sentences

Enter the brat-ified Kamala Harris: the “von dutch brat coconut tree edit featuring kamala harris,” dropped on X, auguring a vibe shift of extraordinary scale.

From Slate • Jul. 22, 2024

Also appearing to back the vice president is singer Charli XCX, who posted on X: "kamala IS brat".

From BBC • Jul. 22, 2024

“My name is pronounced ‘comma-la,’ like the punctuation mark,” Harris writes; kamala is Sanskrit for “lotus flower.”

From The New Yorker • May 13, 2019

Anderson noted that a concentrated ethereal solution of kamala after a few days formed a solid crystalline mass, yellow, very soluble in ether; this substance he named rottlerin, C11H10O3.

From The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by Thomas, Jerome Beers

Uses.—The capsular fruit of this plant is thickly beset with reddish glands and hairs, which, when brushed off and gathered in powder form, constitute the kamala dye of the Hindoos.

From The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by Thomas, Jerome Beers