gamboge

[ gam-bohj, -boozh ]

/ gæmˈboʊdʒ, -ˈbuʒ /

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noun

Also cambogia. a gum resin from various Asian trees of the genus Garcinia, especially G. hanburyi, used as a yellow pigment and as a cathartic.

yellow or yellow-orange.

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Origin of gamboge

1625–35; <New Latin gambog- (stem of gambogium), variant of cambog-, after Cambodia

OTHER WORDS FROM gamboge

gam·bo·gi·an, adjective

Words nearby gamboge

gambit, gamble, gamblers' fallacy, gambling, gambling house, gamboge, gambol, gambrel, gambrel roof, Gambrinus, gambusia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use gamboge in a sentence

In colored ones, if yellow, use gamboge after the pipe-clay, and for other colors match it in dry paint.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley
Gamboge is of a gum-resinous nature and clear yellow colour.
Field's Chromatography|George Field
Perhaps in dyeing, the lead and gamboge solutions might be worth a trial.
Field's Chromatography|George Field
He gave enormous doses of powerful drugs—sixty grains of gamboge, and from two to three ounces of saltpeter in a single day.
An Epitome of the History of Medicine|Roswell Park

The golden throat under a crimson-purple tube is lined with bright crimson; the characteristic ‘eyes’ gamboge, fading to white.
The Woodlands Orchids|Frederick Boyle

British Dictionary definitions for gamboge

gamboge

/ (ɡæmˈbəʊdʒ, -ˈbuːʒ) /

noun

a gum resin used as the source of a yellow pigment and as a purgative
the pigment made from this resin

gamboge tree any of several tropical Asian trees of the genus Garcinia, esp G. hanburyi, that yield this resin: family Clusiaceae

a strong yellow colour

Also called (for senses 1, 2): cambogia

Derived forms of gamboge

gambogian, adjective

Word Origin for gamboge

C18: from New Latin gambaugium, from Cambodia

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