konjac

noun

kon·​jac ˈkän-ˌjak 

variants or less commonly konjak

plural konjacs also konjaks

: a perennial plant (Amorphophallus konjac synonym A. rivieri) of the arum family grown throughout East and Southeast Asia for its large starchy corms

Konjacs will go dormant during the winter, but can grow year-round in a temperate climate. … After five days, when the konjac is finished blooming, it will fade away and quickly collapse.

—Katelyn Aluise

also : the dried corm of the konjac that is ground or powdered especially to make flour or gelatin or for use as a dietary supplement

To make the noodles … , the konjac is made into a flour that gets mixed with still water (see still water sense 2) and lime water, which is a solution of calcium hydroxide that helps hold the mixture together …

—Linnea Covington

Made with konjac powder, nori, and more plant-based ingredients, you can be satisfied that this vegan shrimp will taste like the real thing.

—Charlotte Pointing

Dinner is a tofu and vegetable curry with konjac rice …

—Linda Maher

Examples of konjac in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The principal ingredient in appetite suppressant products, glucomannan is a dietary fiber that comes from the root of the East Asian konjac plant. —Norcal Marketing, Chron, 4 Feb. 2021

Ingredients in Instant Knockout Glucomannan - Glucomannan is a dietary fiber derived from the root of the konjac plant. —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 5 Oct. 2023

This serum also contains natural soothers like konjac root, chamomile, and clary sage to balance the skin’s pH and further prevent potential irritation. —Kayla Blanton, Verywell Health, 22 Sep. 2023

The Clarifying Clay Mask the best investment clay mask for its comfortable dry-down, easy removal, and magical trio of ingredients: Okinawa kucha clay, Japanese konjac, and Japanese volcanic ash. —Nicola Fumo, Peoplemag, 1 May 2023

The Hunter Burn formula centres around 3,000 mg of konjac root extract (glucomannan) and 500 mg of white kidney bean 20:1 extract. —Discover Magazine, 29 Apr. 2023

This serum contains a great antioxidant blend, says Dr. Collins, that includes not only sodium ascorbyl phosphate—a stable form of vitamin C—but also konjac root, ferulic acid, grapefruit, and chamomile extract, which work together to enhance the serum’s smoothing and protective effects. —Kayla Blanton, Health, 14 Apr. 2023

This compostable konjac body sponge is great for all skin types and creates a creamy, rich lather without stripping your skin. —Jamie Wilson, Harper's BAZAAR, 31 Aug. 2022

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Japanese konnyaku

Note: The spelling konjac follows that of the Latin name of the plant, Amorphophallus konjac, earlier Arisaema konjac, given it by the German botanist Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796-1866), who collected a specimen during his six-year sojourn in Japan (1823-29) and brought it back to Europe. The genus was changed from Arisaema to Amorphophallus by the botanist Karl Koch at a meeting of the Verein für Beförderung des Gartenbaues in Berlin ("Society for the Promotion of Horticulture in Berlin")—see Berliner allgemeine Gartenzeitung, No. 21, May 22, 1858, p. 166.

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above