asafetida

[ as-uh-fet-i-duh ]

/ ˌæs əˈfɛt ɪ də /

noun Chemistry.

a soft, brown, lumpy gum resin having a bitter, acrid taste and an obnoxious odor, obtained from the roots of several Near Eastern plants belonging to the genus Ferula, of the parsley family: formerly used in medicine as a carminative and antispasmodic.

Nearby words

as-live, as-told-to, as., asa, asa/bs, asafetida, asafoetida, asahigawa, asahikawa, asalam-wa-leikum, asama

Also a·sa·foet·i·da, asfetida.

Origin of asafetida

1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin asafoetida, equivalent to asa (< Persian āzā mastic, gum) + Latin foetida, feminine of foetidus fetid

Also called devil's dung, food of the gods.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for asafoetida

Some take it up like a hot horseshoe, and hold it off at arm's length like a druggist pouring tincture of asafoetida in a bottle.
Heart of the West|O. Henry
Saffron, asafoetida, and the gum ammoniac plant, are indigenous in parts of it.
The Seven Great Monarchies Of The Ancient Eastern World, Vol 6. (of 7): Parthia|George Rawlinson
His wry faces were from no indigestion, but from the savour of asafoetida, unrelieved by brandy.
Feats on the Fiord|Harriet Martineau
Asafoetida, jaggery and other articles are then given, not to the mother but to the father.
The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India - Volume IV of IV|R.V. Russell

Other products are manna, suffron, asafoetida and other gums.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 7|Various

British Dictionary definitions for asafoetida

asafoetida

asafetida

/ (ˌæsəˈfɛtɪdə) /

noun

a bitter resin with an unpleasant onion-like smell, obtained from the roots of some umbelliferous plants of the genus Ferula: formerly used as a carminative, antispasmodic, and expectorant

Word Origin for asafoetida

C14: from Medieval Latin, from asa gum (compare Persian azā mastic) + Latin foetidus evil-smelling, fetid

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

Word Origin and History for asafoetida (1 of 2)

asafoetida

alternative spelling of asafetida (q.v.); also see oe.

Word Origin and History for asafoetida (1 of 2)

asafetida

late 14c., from Medieval Latin asa (Latinized from Persian aza "mastic") + foetida, fem. of foetidus "stinking" (see fetid).