| 释义 |
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024quas•sia (kwosh′ə, -ē ə),USA pronunciation n. - Plant Biologya shrub or small tree, Quassia amara, of tropical America, having pinnate leaves, showy red flowers, and wood with a bitter taste. Cf. quassia family.
- Plant Biologyany of several other trees having bitter-tasting wood.
- Pest Control, Drugs, DrugsAlso called bitterwood. [Chem., Pharm.]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.
- Neo-Latin, named after Quassi, 18th-century slave in Dutch Guiana who discovered its medicinal properties; see -ia
- 1755–65
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: quassia /ˈkwɒʃə/ n - 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
Etymology: 18th Century: from New Latin, named after Graman Quassi, a slave who discovered (1730) the medicinal value of the root |