tragacanth

3 definitions found

tragacanth - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Tragacanth \Trag"a*canth\, n. [L. tragacanthum tragacanth,
     tragacantha the plant producing tragacanth, Gr. ? ? a he-goat
     + ? a thorn: cf. F. tragacanthe.]
     A kind of gum procured from a spiny leguminous shrub
     (Astragalus gummifer) of Western Asia, and other species of
     Astragalus. It comes in hard whitish or yellowish flakes or
     filaments, and is nearly insoluble in water, but slowly
     swells into a mucilaginous mass, which is used as a
     substitute for gum arabic in medicine and the arts. Called
     also gum tragacanth.
     [1913 Webster]

  Dracanth \Dra"canth\, n.
     A kind of gum; -- called also gum tragacanth, or
     tragacanth. See Tragacanth.
     [1913 Webster]

tragacanth - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  tragacanth
      n 1: a gum used in pharmacy, adhesives, and textile printing