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 fruits: See 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

Origin of sumach

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."
Some Constituents of the Poison Ivy Plant: (Rhus Toxicodendron) | William Anderson Syme
Or onward, where the sumach stands array'd In autumn splendor, its alluring form Fruited, yet odious with the hidden worm?
The Ontario Readers: The High School Reader, 1886 | Ministry of Education
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.
The Backwoodsman | Various

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