a dark red, amorphous, water-insoluble powder, C 16 H 16 O 5 , obtained from the root of the alkanet: used chiefly for coloring fats, oils, and pharmaceuticals.
a North American plant, Lachnanthes caroliniana (or L. tinctoria), having sword-shaped leaves, woolly, yellowish flowers, and a root that is red in color.
