Science & Tech > Plants > Root, Bark & Fibre

Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.

aesculin a glucoside found in horse-chestnut bark.
amole a plant root used as a substitute for soap.
angostura a bitter aromatic bark.
arghan PITA fibre, or the plant yielding it.
asarum the dried root of the wild ginger. [L. asarum, asarabacca].
azedarach the stringent bark of the chinaberry, used as an emetic and cathartic.
briarroot brierroot the root of the briar.
calisaya a variety of Peruvian bark, aka cinchona bark.
calumba the dried root of a tree native to E. Africa and Madagascar, used as a bitter tonic. [Perhaps from Colombo in Sri Lanka, erroneously regarded as the source].
cantala a coarse fibre used in making strong thread or twine.
cascara the bark of the California buckthorn, used as a mild cathartic or laxative.
chayroot the root of the CHAY, an Indian plant of the madder family.
codilla the coarse tow of flax and hemp.
coir kyar a material for cordage, matting, etc., consisting of the prepared fiber of the outer husk of the coconut.
cork the outer bark of the cork tree, a species of oak.
corkiness the state of being CORKY.
corklike like CORK.
corky of or resembling cork > CORKIER, CORKIEST.
costus an aromatic root of the ginger family > COSTUSES.
cullay quillaia quillaja quillai the bark of a rosaceous tree native to Chile, commonly used by the Chilians instead of soap.
fiber fiber a threadlike filament of animal, vegetable or mineral origin.
fiberlike fibrelike like fibre.
filasse vegetable fibre prepared for manufacture.
flittern bark obtained from young oak trees.
galanga galangal galengale galingale the aromatic rootstock of certain E Indian plants of the ginger family.
gingerroot the root of the ginger plant.
hards the coarse or refuse flax or hemp. Also HURDS.
hempen made of hemp; as, a hempen cord.
hemplike like hemp.
hempy like hemp; (noun) a tomboy.
hurds the coarse part of flax or hemp. N.B. no HURD*. Also HARDS.
ipecac ipecacuanha the dried root of various S. American plants, used as a purgative, expectorant and emetic. [Portugese from Tupi].
istle ixtle a fibre obtained from the agave.
jalap jalop the purgative root of a Mexican plant.
jalapic pertaining to JALAP, the purgative root of a Mexican plant.
jute a fibre obtained from the phloem of two plants of the linden family, used for making ropes.
jutelike like JUTE.
kapok a very light, waterproof, oily fibre covering the seeds of a species of silk-cotton tree, used for stuffing pillows etc. [Malay kapuk].
kyar see COIR.
lint cotton fibre; flax.
linter short fibers clinging to cotton seeds after the first ginning.
linty like lint > LINTIER, LINTIEST.
manila a kind of fibre used for making rope. [From Manila, capital of the Philippines].
mishmee mishmi the bitter root of an Assamese gold-thread plant, with tonic properties.
moorva murva bowstring hemp.
orrisroot the root of ORRIS, used in perfumery.
pachak putchock putchuk costus-root.
phelloid cork-like.
pita the fibre of various species of bromelia. [Quechua pita, fine thread].
pulu a silky fibre from the Hawaiian tree-fern.
putchock see PACHAK.
putchuk see PACHAK.
quercetic of or like QUERCETIN.
quercetin quercitin a yellow crystalline compound obtained from the inner bark of the QUERCITRON oak.
quercitron the yellow inner bark of the various oak trees.
quillai see CULLAY.
quillaia see CULLAY.
quillaja see CULLAY.
salep dried orchid tubers; a food or drug prepared from them.
salicin salicine a bitter crystalline glucoside obtained from willow-bark, etc and used medicinally as an analgesic, etc.
sanguinaria the dried rhizome of the bloodroot Sanguinaria used as an emetic.
sassy sassywood the bark of a West African leguminous tree, used by the natives as an ordeal poison, and also medicinally; (adj.) impertinent > SASSIER, SASSIEST.
seneca senega the dried root of a N. American milkwort, used medicinally.
sisal a fibre used for making rope.
suber the bark of the cork tree. [L. suber, cork].
subereous of cork.
suberin a compound found in cork.
suberise suberize to deposit SUBERIN, thus forming cork.
suberose suberous pertaining to cork.
tanbark a tree bark used as a source of tannin.
tow prepared fibres of flax, hemp etc.
towy pertaining to TOW > TOWIER, TOWIEST.
turbeth turbith turpeth the root of Ipomea turpethum, a plant of Ceylon, used as a purgative.
watap watape wattape a fibre or thread made by some N. American Indian peoples from the split roots of conifers, esp. white spruce. [Cree watapiy].
wattlebark the bark of various acacias, used for tanning.