kamala

American  

[kuh-mey-luh, kam-uh-luh, kuhm-] / kəˈmeɪ lə, ˈkæm ə lə, ˈkʌm- /

noun

1. a powder from the capsules of an East Indian tree, Mallotus philippinensis, of the spurge family, used as a yellow dye and in medicine as an anthelmintic.

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kamala British  

/ ˈkæmələ, kəˈmɑːlə /

noun

1. an East Indian euphorbiaceous tree, Mallotus philippinensis

2. a powder obtained from the seed capsules of this tree, used as a dye and formerly as a worm powder

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Etymology

Origin of kamala

Borrowed into English from Sanskrit around 1810–20

Example Sentences

Enter the brat-ified Kamala Harris: the “von dutch brat coconut tree edit featuring kamala harris,” dropped on X, auguring a vibe shift of extraordinary scale.

From Slate • Jul. 22, 2024

Also appearing to back the vice president is singer Charli XCX, who posted on X: "kamala IS brat".

From BBC • Jul. 22, 2024

“My name is pronounced ‘comma-la,’ like the punctuation mark,” Harris writes; kamala is Sanskrit for “lotus flower.”

From The New Yorker • May 13, 2019

This tincture is prepared by macerating 200 grams of kamala in 500 cc. alcohol for 7 days; then filtering with expression and adding enough alcohol to complete the 500 cc.

From The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by Thomas, Jerome Beers

Anderson noted that a concentrated ethereal solution of kamala after a few days formed a solid crystalline mass, yellow, very soluble in ether; this substance he named rottlerin, C11H10O3.

From The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by Thomas, Jerome Beers