tragacanth

noun

trag·​a·​canth ˈtra-jə-ˌkan(t)th 

ˈtra-gə-,

-kən(t)th 

 also  ˈtra-gə-ˌsan(t)th

: a gum obtained from various Asian or eastern European plants (genus Astragalus and especially A. gummifer) of the legume family that swells in water and is used chiefly as an emulsifying, suspending, or thickening agent

Examples of tragacanth in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

All were molded out of a powdered sugar paste likely made with rose and orange blossom water and tragacanth, a resin from a plant indigenous to the Middle East and Asia: the yields of trade and Western expansion. —New York Times, 11 Aug. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Middle French tragacanthe, from Latin tragacantha, from Greek tragakantha, from tragos goat + akantha thorn

First Known Use

1558, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tragacanth

• gum tragacanth

• gum tragacanth

Medical Definition

tragacanth

noun

trag·​a·​canth

ˈtraj-ə-ˌkan(t)th, ˈtrag-, -kən(t)th; also ˈtrag-ə-ˌsan(t)th

: a gum obtained from various Asian or East European leguminous plants (genus Astragalus and especially A. gummifer) that swells in water and is used as an emulsifying, suspending, and thickening agent and as a demulcent

called also gum tragacanth, hog gum