Word Study
quassia
CIDE DICTIONARY
quassia, n. [NL. From the name of a negro, Quassy, or Quash, who prescribed this article as a specific.].
The wood of several tropical American trees of the order Simarubeæ , as Quassia amara , Picræna excelsa , and Simaruba amara . It is intensely bitter, and is used in medicine and sometimes as a substitute for hops in making beer. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
quassia, n.
1 an evergreen tree, Quassia amara, native to S. America.
2 the wood, bark, or root of this tree, yielding a bitter medicinal tonic and insecticide.
1 an evergreen tree, Quassia amara, native to S. America.
2 the wood, bark, or root of this tree, yielding a bitter medicinal tonic and insecticide.
Etymology
G. Quassi, 18th-c. Surinam slave, who discovered its medicinal properties
ROGET THESAURUS
quassia
Unsavoriness
N unsavoriness, amaritude, acrimony, acridity (bitterness), roughness, acerbity, austerity, gall and wormwood, rue, quassia, aloes, marah, sickener, unsavory, unpalatable, unsweetened, unsweet, ill-flavored, bitter, bitter as gall, acrid, acrimonious, rough, offensive, repulsive, nasty, sickening, nauseous, loathsome, fulsome, unpleasant.For further exploring for "quassia" in Webster Dictionary Online
