asafetida
[ as-uh-fet-i-duh ]
/ ˌæs əˈfɛt ɪ də /
noun Chemistry.
a soft, brown, lumpy gum resin having a bitter, acrid taste and an obnoxious odor, obtained from the roots of several Near Eastern plants belonging to the genus Ferula, of the parsley family: formerly used in medicine as a carminative and antispasmodic.
Also
a·sa·foet·i·da,
asfetida.
Also called
devil's dung,
food of the gods.
Origin of asafetida
1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin
asafoetida, equivalent to
asa (< Persian
āzā mastic, gum) + Latin
foetida, feminine of
foetidus
fetid
Words nearby asafetida
as-live,
as-told-to,
as.,
asa,
asa/bs,
asafetida,
asafoetida,
asahigawa,
asalam-wa-leikum,
asama,
asana
Example sentences from the Web for asafoetida
British Dictionary definitions for asafoetida
asafoetida
asafetida
/ (ˌæsəˈfɛtɪdə) /
noun
a bitter resin with an unpleasant onion-like smell, obtained from the roots of some umbelliferous plants of the genus Ferula: formerly used as a carminative, antispasmodic, and expectorant
Word Origin for asafoetida
C14: from Medieval Latin, from
asa gum (compare Persian
azā mastic) + Latin
foetidus evil-smelling,
fetid