sumac, sumach, shumac
(noun) a shrub or tree of the genus Rhus (usually limited to the non-poisonous members of the genus)
sumac
(noun) wood of a sumac
Source: WordNet® 3.1
sumac (usually uncountable, plural sumacs)
Any of various shrubs or small trees of the genus Rhus and other genera in Anacardiaceae, particularly the elm-leaved sumac, Sicilian sumac, or tanner's sumac (Rhus coriaria).
Dried and chopped-up leaves and stems of a plant of the genus Rhus, particularly the tanner's sumac (see sense 1), used for dyeing and tanning leather or for medicinal purposes.
A sour spice popular in the Eastern Mediterranean, made from the berries of tanner's sumac.
• skunkbush (Rhus trilobata)
sumac (third-person singular simple present sumacs, present participle sumacking or sumacing, simple past and past participle sumacked or sumaced)
(transitive) To apply a preparation of sumac to (an object), for example, to a piece of leather to tan it.
• CUSMA, Camus, MUSCA, Musca, USMCA, camus, musac
Source: Wiktionary
Su"mac, Su"mach, n. Etym: [F. sumac, formerly sumach (cf. Sp. zumaque), fr. Ar. summaq.] [Written also shumac.]
1. (Bot.)
Definition: Any plant of the genus Rhus, shrubs or small trees with usually compound leaves and clusters of small flowers. Some of the species are used in tanning, some in dyeing, and some in medicine. One, the Japanese Rhus vernicifera, yields the celebrated Japan varnish, or lacquer.
2. The powdered leaves, peduncles, and young branches of certain species of the sumac plant, used in tanning and dyeing. Poison sumac. (Bot.) See under Poison.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
16 May 2025
(adjective) marked by columniation having free columns in porticoes either at both ends or at both sides of a structure
Contrary to popular belief, coffee beans are not technically beans. They are referred to as such because of their resemblance to legumes. A coffee bean is a seed of the Coffea plant and the source for coffee. It is the pit inside the red or purple fruit, often referred to as a cherry. Just like ordinary cherries, the coffee fruit is also a so-called stone fruit.
