ferula asafoetida

3 definitions found

ferula asafoetida - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Asafetida \As`a*fet"i*da\, Asafoetida \As`a*f[oe]t"i*da\, n.
     [Asa + L. foetidus fetid.]
     The fetid gum resin or inspissated juice of a large
     umbelliferous plant (Ferula asafoetida) of Persia and the
     East Indies. It is used in medicine as an antispasmodic.
     [Written also assafoetida.]
     [1913 Webster]

  Ferulic \Fe*ru"lic\, a. (Chem.)
     Pertaining to, or derived from, asafetida (Ferula asaf[oe]tida
     ); as, ferulic acid. [Written also ferulaic.]
     [1913 Webster]

  Ferula \Fer"u*la\, n. [L. ferula giant fennel (its stalks were
     used in punishing schoolboys), rod, whip, fr. ferire to
     strike; akin to OHG. berjan, Icel. berja. Cf. Ferule.]
     1. A ferule. [Obs.] --Beau. & Fl.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. The imperial scepter in the Byzantine or Eastern Empire.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. [capitalized] A genus of plants of the parsley family
        Apiaceae (of the order Umbelliferae), including some
        yielding asafetida. Members include Ferula asafoetida
        (Ferula foetida), the giant fennel (Ferula communis),
        and Ferula orientalis.
        [PJC]