asafoetida

as·a·fet·i·da

A a

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [as-uh-fet-i-duh]
- /ˌæs əˈfɛt ɪ də/
- /əsˈafiːtˌɪdə/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [as-uh-fet-i-duh]
- /ˌæs əˈfɛt ɪ də/

Definitions of asafoetida word

noun asafoetida a bitter resin with an unpleasant onion-like smell, obtained from the roots of some umbelliferous plants of the genus Ferula: formerly used as a carminative, antispasmodic, and expectorant 3
noun asafoetida a soft, brown, lumpy gum resin having a bitter, acrid taste and an obnoxious odor, obtained from the roots of several Near Eastern plants belonging to the genus Ferula, of the parsley family: formerly used in medicine as a carminative and antispasmodic. 1
noun asafoetida A resinous gum from the stem and roots of a wild fennel (Ferula asafoetida), having a strong, unpleasant smell, with culinary and medical uses. (from 14th c.). 1

See all 3 definitions of asafoetida

Information block about the term

Origin of asafoetida

First appearance:

before 1350

One of the 20% oldest English words

1350-1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin asafoetida, equivalent to asa (< Persian āzā mastic, gum) + Latin foetida, feminine of foetidus fetid

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Asafoetida

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Asafoetida

asafoetida popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 53% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

asafoetida usage trend in Literature

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