cascarilla

[ kas-kuh-ril-uh ]

noun

Also called cascarilla bark . the bitter, aromatic bark of a West Indian shrub, Croton eluteria, of the spurge family, used as a tonic.
the shrub itself.

Origin of cascarilla

1870–75; <Spanish, equivalent to cascar(a) bark (see cascara) + -illa<Latin -illa diminutive suffix

Words Nearby cascarilla

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cascarilla in a sentence

The Peruvians call the bark cascarilla, and they point out the distinctions of a great number of species and varieties.
Travels in Peru, on the Coast, in the Sierra, Across the Cordilleras and the Andes, into the Primeval Forests | J. J. von Tschudi
Many persons very much object to the aroma of benzoin, while they greatly admire the fumes of cascarilla.
The Art of Perfumery | G. W. Septimus Piesse
cascarilla bark is good to smoke, to prevent the effects of malaria, and in sick rooms to correct bad effluvia.
Mrs. Hale's Receipts for the Million | Sarah Josepha Hale
Much better than plain water he considers water to which some light bitter has been added, such as cascarilla.
Makers of Modern Medicine | James J. Walsh
Tobacco and cascarilla bark also flourish; and cotton is indigenous and was woven into cloth by the aborigines.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for cascarilla

cascarilla

/ (ˌkæskəˈrɪlə) /

noun

a West Indian euphorbiaceous shrub, Croton eluteria, whose bitter aromatic bark is used as a tonic
the bark of this shrub

Origin of cascarilla

C17: from Spanish, diminutive of cáscara bark; see cascara

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

Browse