quassia

American  

[kwosh-uh, -ee-uh] / ˈkwɒʃ ə, -i ə /

noun

1. a shrub or small tree, Quassia amara, of tropical America, having pinnate leaves, showy red flowers, and wood with a bitter taste.

2. any of several other trees having bitter-tasting wood.

3. Also called bitterwood.  Chemistry, Pharmacology. a prepared form of the heartwood of any of these trees, used as an insecticide and in medicine as a tonic to dispel intestinal worms.

---

quassia British  

/ ˈkwɒʃə /

noun

1. any tree of the tropical American simaroubaceous genus Quassia, having bitter bark and wood

2. the bark and wood of Quassia amara and of a related tree, Picrasma excelsa, used in furniture making

3. a bitter compound extracted from this bark and wood, formerly used as a tonic and anthelmintic, now used in insecticides

---

Etymology

Origin of quassia

First recorded in 1775–80; from New Latin, named after Quassi, an 18th-century enslaved healer in the Dutch colony of Suriname who discovered its medicinal properties; see -ia

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

quassia

The first of their three flavors, which include Aromatic and Dry, to come to the United States is Bitter, made with grapes, grapefruit, bay leaf, orange, oak and quassia, also known as bitterwood.

From New York Times ● Aug. 14, 2020

Peet took a sip of Aecorn Dry, a grape blend that is infused with chamomile, black tea, and quassia wood.

From The New Yorker ● Sep. 19, 2019

Multum, mul′tum, n. an adulterant compound in brewing of quassia and liquorice.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various

Mixture for Destroying Flies--Infusion of quassia, one pint; brown sugar, four ounces; ground pepper, two ounces.

From The Handy Cyclopedia of Things Worth Knowing A Manual of Ready Reference by Triemens, Joseph

Here is the list of things they forbid to put into beer: “molasses, honey, liquorice, vitriol, quassia, cocculus indicus, grains-of-paradise, Guinea-pepper, opium.”

From The Humbugs of the World An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All Ages by Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor)