Hypertext Webster Gateway: "tragacanth"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
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}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Dracanth \Dra"canth\, n.
A kind of gum; -- called also {gum tragacanth}, or
{tragacanth}. See {Tragacanth}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
tragacanth
n : a gum used in pharmacy, adhesives, and textile printing
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