Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A genus of plants, of the order Simarubaceæ and tribe Simarubeæ.
- noun [lowercase] A drug, also called
bitter-wood , consisting of the wood of Picræna (Quassia) excelsa, and of two or three related trees; also, a medicinal preparation from these woods.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The wood of several tropical American trees of the order Simarubeæ, as
Quassia amara ,Picræna excelsa , andSimaruba amara . It is intensely bitter, and is used in medicine and sometimes as a substitute for hops in making beer.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun handsome South American shrub or small tree having bright scarlet flowers and yielding a valuable fine-grained yellowish wood; yields the bitter drug quassia from its wood and bark
- noun a bitter compound used as an insecticide and tonic and vermifuge; extracted from the wood and bark of trees of the genera Quassia and Picrasma
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word Quassia.
Examples
-
Quassia, one-half pound; Gentian Root, one pound; Iron Sulphate, one pound; pulverize and mix well.
The Veterinarian Charles James Korinek
-
Shrub or small tree, Quassia amara, of tropical America, having wood with a bitter taste.
The Veterinarian Charles James Korinek
-
-- The quassia wood of the pharmacopoeia was originally the product of _Quassia amara_, a tall shrub, never above fifteen feet high, native of Guiana, but also inhabiting Surinam and Colombia.
-
Steam this slowly for an hour, then add thirty drops Quassia.
One Thousand Secrets of Wise and Rich Men Revealed C. A. Bogardus
-
That sold in the shops is the tough, fibrous, bitter bark of the root of _Simaruba (Quassia) excelsa_ and _officinalis_, very large forest trees, growing in Cayenne, Jamaica, and other parts of the West
-
Quassia acts as a narcotic poison on flies and other insects.
-
In dropsical diseases, I have effected this result most frequently, for years past, by means of Carduus mariæ, less frequently by Quassia, still less frequently by Nux vomica, and only in a few cases by Chelidonium: according as one or the other of these agents seemed indicated by the epidemic character of the disease.
Apis Mellifica or, The Poison of the Honey-Bee, Considered as a Therapeutic Agent C. W. Wolf
-
Quassia-chips were given to each to steep in water, but carefully tied up in different coloured cotton bags.
Southern Arabia Mabel Bent
-
Shrub or small tree of tropical America, Quassia amara.
The Handy Cyclopedia of Things Worth Knowing A Manual of Ready Reference Joseph Triemens
-
Quassia-wood, the acorus calamus, and other bitters and aromatics, were tried; but that which seemed to succeed best was the bark and kernel of the horse-chestnut.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 10, No. 284, November 24, 1827 Various
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.