rhatany
Americannoun
plural
rhatanies-
either of two South American shrubs belonging to the genus Krameria, of the legume family, K. tiandra knotty rhatany, or Peruvian rhatany or K. argentea Brazilian rhatany, or Pará rhatany.
-
the root of either of these plants, used as an astringent and tonic in medicine and also to color port wine.
noun
-
either of two South American leguminous shrubs, Krameria triandra or K. argentea , that have thick fleshy roots
-
the dried roots of such shrubs used as an astringent
Etymology
Origin of rhatany
First recorded in 1800–10; from New Latin rhatania, from Latin American Spanish rataña, Portuguese ratánhia, from Quechua ratánya; the rh- is by analogy with Greek scientific terms beginning with rh-, e.g., rhododendron, rheumatic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Krameria triandra.—This is one of the species that yield the rhatany roots of commerce.
From Catalogue of Economic Plants in the Collection of the U. S. Department of Agriculture by Saunders, William
Glycerin 75 " Alcohol 500 " Tincture rhatany 20 " Spirit lavender 50 " 2.
From Scientific American Supplement, No. 1157, March 5, 1898 by Various
For Chronic Catarrh remaining after, lozenges containing rhatany or tannin are useful.
From Mother's Remedies Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remedies from Mothers of the United States and Canada by Ritter, Thomas Jefferson
For roughness or dryness, alum, oak sawdust, rhatany or kino.
From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. V, October, 1850, Volume I. by
The kino and the rhatany root are to be macerated in the alcohol for seven or eight days; and after filtration, the other articles are to be added.
From The Art of Perfumery And Methods of Obtaining the Odors of Plants by Piesse, George William Septimus
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.