quassia

[ kwosh-uh, -ee-uh ]
/ ˈkwɒʃ ə, -i ə /

noun

a shrub or small tree, Quassia amara, of tropical America, having pinnate leaves, showy red flowers, and wood with a bitter taste. Compare quassia family.
any of several other trees having bitter-tasting wood.
Also called bitterwood. Chemistry, Pharmacology. a prepared form of the heartwood of any of these trees, used as an insecticide and in medicine as a tonic to dispel intestinal worms.

Origin of quassia

1755–65; < New Latin, named after Quassi, 18th-century slave in Dutch Guiana who discovered its medicinal properties; see -ia

Words nearby quassia

quasidominance, quasimodo, quasiparticle, quasquicentennial, quass, quassia, quassia family, quat., quater, quatercentenary, quatercentennial

Example sentences from the Web for quassia

British Dictionary definitions for quassia

quassia
/ (ˈkwɒʃə) /

noun

any tree of the tropical American simaroubaceous genus Quassia, having bitter bark and wood
the bark and wood of Quassia amara and of a related tree, Picrasma excelsa, used in furniture making
a bitter compound extracted from this bark and wood, formerly used as a tonic and anthelmintic, now used in insecticides

Word Origin for quassia

C18: from New Latin, named after Graman Quassi, a slave who discovered (1730) the medicinal value of the root