asafetida Hear it!

asafetida definition

asa·feti·da or asafoetida as′a·foet′i·da (as′ə fet′ə də)

noun

a bad-smelling gum resin obtained from various Asiatic plants (genus Ferula) of the umbel family: it was formerly used to treat some illnesses or, in folk medicine, to repel disease

Etymology: ME < ML asa (< Pers āzā, gum) + L foetida, fem. of foetidus, fetid

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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