sumach

US sumac

/ (ˈsuːmæk, ˈʃuː-) /

Save This Word!

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

QUIZ

TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS

Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”

Question 1 of 7

What does "dignity" mean?

showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Word Origin for sumach

C14: via Old French from Arabic summāq

Words nearby sumach

Sulu Archipelago, Sulu Sea, Sulzberger, sum, sumac, sumach, sum and substance, Sumatra, Sumatra camphor, Sumatran, Sumatran elephant

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