Catechu definition

kătə-cho͝o
A hard, brown substance obtained from an Asian acacia (Acacia catechu) and other Asian trees and shrubs: used as an astringent in medicine, and for dyeing, tanning, etc.
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A spiny Asian tree (Acacia catechu) having bipinnately compound leaves, spikes of yellow flowers, and dark heartwood.
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A raw material obtained from the heartwood of this plant, used in the preparation of tannins and brown dyes.
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A gummy extract of any of several species of Acacia, produced by boiling the wood of the tree in water and evaporating the resulting liquid.
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Alternative Forms

Alternative Form of catechu - cashoo

Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
catechu
Plural:
catechus

Origin of catechu

  • Probably from Malay kachu probably from Dravidian karaiyal, karaiccal that which is dissolved from karai to melt

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

  • Probably a corruption of the Malay kachu.

    From Wiktionary

Catechu Sentence Examples

  • The water of the first boiling becomes red and thick, and when this is inspissated after the removal of the nuts it forms a catechu of high astringency and dark colour called in Bombay "Kossa."

  • Betel nuts are further used as a source of catechu, which is procured by boiling the nuts in water.

  • The nuts are again boiled, and the inspissated juice of the second decoction yields a weaker catechu of a brown or reddish colour.

  • Thus the protoand per-salts of iron, as well as the protoand per-salts of tin, including also a large variety of tannin, sumac, divi-divi, chestnut, valonia, the acacias (Areca Catechu and Acacia Catechu from India), from which are obtained cutch and gambier, &c., are no longer used solely as mordants or tinctorial matters, but mainly to serve the object of converting the silk into a greatly-expanded fibre, consisting of a conglomeration of more or less of these substances."

  • Besides betel-nut (Areca Catechu), the palms of India include the coco-nut (Cocos nucifera), the bastard date (Phoenix sylvestris), the palmyra (Borassus flabellifer), and the true date (Phoenix dactylifera).

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