sumac

or su·mach

[ soo-mak, shoo- ]

/ ˈsu mæk, ˈʃu- /

noun

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.

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.

the wood of these trees.

Nearby words

Origin of sumac

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sumach

The sumach perked its red pompon like a holiday soldier, and then flung skyward its crimson battle-flag.
The Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 12, No. 72, October, 1863|Various
In the clearings and bordering the wood grew the sumach, that flared red at the very thought of Jack Frost's coming.
In Our Town|William Allen White
Sumach is often used alone for some classes of goat, sheep, and calf skins.
Leather|K. J. Adcock
Flaming patches of sumach adorn the edges of the rocky spots that occasionally occurred in the picture.
The Land of Lure|Elliott Smith

When galls and sumach are both prescribed, their baths should be separately made and mixed together.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure

British Dictionary definitions for sumach

sumach

US sumac

/ (ˈsuːmæk, ˈʃuː-) /

noun

any temperate or subtropical shrub or small tree of the anacardiaceous genus Rhus, having compound leaves, clusters of green flowers, and red hairy fruitsSee also poison sumach

a preparation of powdered leaves of certain species of Rhus, esp R. coriaria, used in dyeing and tanning

the wood of any of these plants

Word Origin for sumach

C14: via Old French from Arabic summāq

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for sumach

sumac

c.1300, "preparation of dried, chopped leaves of a plant of the genus Rhus" (used in tanning and dyeing and as an astringent), from Old French sumac (13c.), from Medieval Latin sumach, from Arabic summaq, from Syrian summaq "red." Later applied to a North American plant species.

Medicine definitions for sumach

sumac

n.

Any of various shrubs or small trees of the genus Rhus, having compound leaves, clusters of small greenish flowers, and usually red, hairy fruit. Some species, such as the poison ivy and poison oak, cause an acute itching rash on contact.