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; -ia

Example Sentences

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

Powdered quassia As much as may be required.

From The Dog by Dinks

His laugh was bitter as quassia; he turned his head toward the sound of the automobile horn that summoned him.

From A Man's Hearth by Ingram, Eleanor M. (Eleanor Marie)

He soon found his newly discovered medicine not only more agreeable to his taste, but cheaper also than Huxham's tincture and quassia.

From Forty Years in the Wilderness of Pills and Powders Cogitations and Confessions of an Aged Physician by Alcott, William A. (William Andrus)