sumac

American  

[soo-mak, shoo-] / ˈsu mæk, ˈʃu- /

Or sumach

noun

1. any of several shrubs or small trees belonging to the genus Rhus of the cashew family, having milky sap, compound leaves, and small, fleshy fruit.

2. a preparation of the dried and powdered leaves, bark, etc., of certain species of Rhus, especially R. coriaria of southern Europe, used especially in tanning.

3. the wood of these trees.

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Etymology

Origin of sumac

1250–1300; Middle English < Medieval Latin < Arabic summāq

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sumac

Food trends columnist Adam Chandler profiled Lev Sercarz about cooking in this new era of American eating, and received suggestions for the best seasonings—from sumac to smoked salt—for spicing up even the simplest meals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

Vejar’s “ins” include native oaks and some sycamores, black walnut trees, desert willows, drought-tolerant African sumac and Chinese pistache.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2025

Hardly a week goes by without using saffron, turmeric, pomegranate molasses, tamarind, cinnamon, or sumac in my cooking.

From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2024

For full-spectrum flavor, you could also include a pinch of sumac for sourness, a fleck of crushed dried seaweed for savoriness and a dash of poppy seeds for sweet nuttiness.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 15, 2023

Here and there I passed a motel or bait shop, but otherwise the country unfolded in great sweeps of pine and birch and sumac.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien