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.

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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

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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

In those days adulteration was practiced, for wormwood and quassia were found as substitutes.

From James Cutbush An American Chemist, 1788-1823 by Smith, Edgar Fahs

Miss Shott knew that Mrs. Cliff absolutely detested the taste of quassia.

From Mrs. Cliff's Yacht by Stockton, Frank Richard

The adulterations most commonly used to give bitterness are gentian, wormwood, and quassia; to impart pungency, ginger, orange-peel, and caraway.

From Katie Robertson A Girls Story of Factory Life by Winslow, Margaret E.