any tree of the tropical American simaroubaceous genus Quassia, having bitter bark and wood
2.
the bark and wood of Quassia amara and of a related tree, Picrasma excelsa, used in furniture making
3.
a bitter compound extracted from this bark and wood, formerly used as a tonic and anthelmintic, now used in insecticides
Word origin
C18: from New Latin, named after Graman Quassi, a slave who discovered (1730) the medicinal value of the root
quassia in American English
(ˈkwɑʃə; ˈkwɑʃiə; ˈkwɑsiə)
noun
1.
any of a genus (Quassia) of shrubs and trees of the quassia family
2.
the wood of either of two tropical trees (Picrasma excela or Quassia amara) of the quassia family, used in making furniture
3.
a bitter drug extracted from this wood, used in insecticides and, formerly, in medicine
adjective
4.
designating a family (Simaroubaceae, order Sapindales) of tropical American dicotyledonous shrubsand trees having alternate pinnate leaves, including ailanthus
Word origin
ModL, after Graman Quassi, black slave of Suriname who prescribed it for fever, c. 1730