quassia
a shrub or small tree, Quassia amara, of tropical America, having pinnate leaves, showy red flowers, and wood with a bitter taste.: Compare quassia family.
any of several other trees having bitter-tasting wood.
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.
Origin of quassia
1Words Nearby quassia
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use quassia in a sentence
quassia, kwash′i-a, n. a South American tree, the bitter wood and bark of which are used as a tonic.
From six to eight ounces of the infusion of quassia is then passed, as high up as the catheter will reach.
The Eugenic Marriage, Volume IV. (of IV.) | Grant HagueI have tasted rue, I have tasted aloes, I have tasted quassia, and I have nearly died of squills.
From Pillar to Post | John Kendrick BangsBitter substances, like commercial aloes and quassia, are useless against rabbits.
His laugh was bitter as quassia; he turned his head toward the sound of the automobile horn that summoned him.
A Man's Hearth | Eleanor M. Ingram
British Dictionary definitions for quassia
/ (ˈkwɒʃə) /
any tree of the tropical American simaroubaceous genus Quassia, having bitter bark and wood
the bark and wood of Quassia amara and of a related tree, Picrasma excelsa, used in furniture making
a bitter compound extracted from this bark and wood, formerly used as a tonic and anthelmintic, now used in insecticides
Origin of quassia
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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