catechu

[ kat-i-choo, -kyoo ]

/ ˈkæt ɪˌtʃu, -ˌkyu /

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noun

any of several astringent substances obtained from various tropical plants, especially from the wood of two East Indian acacias, Acacia catechu and A. suma: used in medicine, dyeing, tanning, etc.

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Also called cashoo, cutch.

Origin of catechu

1670–80; <New Latin <Portuguese; perhaps a conflation of Marathi kāt catechu and kāccu, with same sense, alleged to be <Malayalam; cashoo, cutch perhaps <Malay kacu<Malayalam, or a cognate Dravidian word

Words nearby catechu

catechism, catechist, catechize, catechol, catecholamine, catechu, catechumen, categorematic, categorial, categorial grammar, categorical

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

How to use catechu in a sentence

Foreign astringents (generally catechu) are added to conceal the presence of exhausted leaves.
Detection of the Common Food Adulterants|Edwin M. Bruce
A catechu bath is now prepared, in which the silk is entered and worked for an hour, and then allowed to steep over night.
Textiles|William H. Dooley
The astringent taste of old brandy is imitated by the introduction of a little catechu into the British spirits.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
A third product to which the name catechu is also applied, is obtained from the fruits of the areca or betel palm, Areca catechu.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5|Various

Ordinary black catechu is usually imported in three different forms.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5|Various

British Dictionary definitions for catechu

catechu

cachou or cutch

/ (ˈkætɪˌtʃuː) /

noun

a water-soluble astringent resinous substance obtained from any of certain tropical plants, esp the leguminous tree Acacia catechu of S Asia, and used in medicine, tanning, and dyeingSee also gambier

Word Origin for catechu

C17: probably from Malay kachu, of Dravidian origin

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