sumach

US sumac

/ (ˈsuːmæk, ˈʃuː-) /


noun
  1. any temperate or subtropical shrub or small tree of the anacardiaceous genus Rhus, having compound leaves, clusters of green flowers, and red hairy fruits: See also poison sumach

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

  1. the wood of any of these plants

Origin of sumach

1
C14: via Old French from Arabic summāq

Words Nearby sumach

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

How to use sumach in a sentence

  • It is popularly known in the United States as "poison sumach," "poison dogwood" and "poison elder."

  • Or onward, where the sumach stands array'd In autumn splendor, its alluring form Fruited, yet odious with the hidden worm?

  • She reached out her sly hand for mine and drew it under cover of the sumach branch.

    Lazarre | Mary Hartwell Catherwood
  • Deerslayer, do you mean to marry sumach, now she has neither husband nor brother to feed her?

    The Deerslayer | James Fenimore Cooper
  • The savage Indians regard it with superstitious awe, and make a sacrifice of sumach leaves ere they attack and kill it.