coontie

[ koon-tee ]
/ ˈkun ti /

noun

either of two arrowroots, Zamia integrifolia or Z. floridana, of Florida, having a short trunk, pinnate leaves, and cones: Z. floridana is an endangered species.
the flour produced from its starch.

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Origin of coontie

1785–95, Americanism;<Florida Creek kuntí· applied to arrowroot and the starch derived therefrom, earlier (in Georgia) applied to the smilax

Words nearby coontie

cooner, coonhound, Coon Rapids, coon's age, coonskin, coontie, coony, coop, cooper, cooperage, cooperate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for coontie

coontie
/ (ˈkuːntɪ) /

noun

an evergreen plant, Zamia floridana of S Florida, related to the cycads and having large dark green leathery leaves: family Zamiaceae
a starch derived from the underground stems of this plant

Word Origin for coontie

C19: from Seminole kunti flour from this plant
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