CAOUTCHOUC

rubber, natural rubber, India rubber, gum elastic, caoutchouc

(noun) an elastic material obtained from the latex sap of trees (especially trees of the genera Hevea and Ficus) that can be vulcanized and finished into a variety of products

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

caoutchouc (countable and uncountable, plural caoutchoucs)

latex; natural rubber

Source: Wiktionary

Caout"chouc, n. Etym: [F. caoutchouc, from the South American name.]

Definition: A tenacious, elastic, gummy substance obtained from the milky sap of several plants of tropical South America (esp. the euphorbiaceous tree Siphonia elastica or Hevea caoutchouc), Asia, and Africa. Being impermeable to liquids and gases, and not readly affected by exposure to air, acids, and alkalies, it is used, especially when vulcanized, for many purposes in the arts and in manufactures. Also called India rubber (because it was first brought from India, and was formerly used chiefly for erasing pencil marks) and gum elastic. See Vulcanization. Mineral caoutchouc. See under Mineral.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition