Sumac definition

so͝omăk, sho͝o-
The wood of any of these plants.
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A tart, dark reddish-brown powder made from the ground dried fruits of a Eurasian sumac (Rhus coriaria), used as a seasoning in Middle Eastern cuisine.
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Any of various shrubs or small trees of the genera Rhus and Toxicodendron, having compound leaves, clusters of small greenish flowers, and usually red, hairy fruit. Species in the genus Toxicodendron, such as poison sumac, have toxic sap.
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A tart, dark reddish-brown powder made from the ground dried fruits of a Eurasian sumac (Rhus coriaria), used as a seasoning in Middle Eastern cuisine.
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Any of various shrubs or small trees of the genus Rhus including the poison ivy and poison oak.
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A sour spice popular in the Eastern Mediterranean made from the berries of the plant.
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Any of various shrubs or small trees of the genera Rhus and Toxicodendron, having compound leaves, clusters of small greenish flowers, and usually red, hairy fruit. Species in the genus Toxicodendron, such as poison sumac, have toxic sap.
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Any of various shrubs and small trees (genus Rhus) of the cashew family, including poison sumac and several nonpoisonous plants.
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The pulverized dried leaves of some of these nonpoisonous plants (esp. Rhus coriaria), used in tanning and dyeing.
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Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
sumac
Plural:
sumacs

Origin of sumac

  • Middle English preparation made from sumac from Old French (possibly via Medieval Latin sumach) from Arabic summāq sumac tree from Aramaic dark red from səmaq to be red smq in Semitic roots

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

  • Old French sumac, from Medieval Latin sumach, from Arabic سُمَّاق"Ž (summāq), from Classical Syriac ܣܘܡܩܐ (summāqāʾ, “red; sumac").

    From Wiktionary

Sumac Sentence Examples

  • Those are sumac bushes.

  • Among indigenous fruit-bearing trees, shrubs and vines the state has the bird cherry, black cherry, blueberry, cranberry, raspberry, blackberry, gooseberry, strawberry, grape and black currant; and conspicuous among a very great variety of shrubs and flowering plants are the rose, dogwood, laurel, sumac, holly, winterberry, trilliums, anemones, arbutuses, violets, azaleas, eglantine, clematis, blue gentians, orange lilies, orchids, asters and golden rod.

  • 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."

  • Our version includes crushed organic thyme, non-organic sumac, organic toasted sesame seeds and sea salt.

  • Sumac berries are typically harvested and made into a medicinal tea.

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Also Mentioned In

Words near sumac in the Dictionary