Asafetida Definition

asəfetədə
noun
A bad-smelling gum resin obtained from various Asian plants (genus Ferula) of the umbel family: it was formerly used to treat some illnesses or, in folk medicine, to repel disease.
Webster's New World
Any of several plants of the genus Ferula in the parsley family, native to dry regions in Iran and Afghanistan and having long, sturdy, hollow stems and roots yielding a brownish, strong-smelling resin.
American Heritage Medicine
The resin obtained from these plants, especially from the species Ferula assa-foetida, used as an ingredient in medicine and remedies and as a seasoning in South Asian cuisine.
American Heritage Medicine

Alternative spelling of asafoetida.

Wiktionary
Synonyms:

Origin of Asafetida

  • Middle English from Medieval Latin asafētida asa gum (from Persian azā mastic) Latin foetida feminine of foetidus stinking fetid

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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