Adjacent Words

Cassia definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CASSIA, n. A genus of plants of many species, among which are the fistula, or purging cassia, and the senna. The former is a native of Egypt and both Indies; the latter is a native of Persia, Syria and Arabia. The latter is a shrubby plant, the leaves of which are much used in medicine. The purging cassia is the pulp of the pods, and is a gentle laxative.
Cassia is also the name of a species of Laurus, the bark of which usually passes under the name of cinnamon, differing from real cinnamon chiefly in the strength of its qualities. From a plant of this kind was extracted an aromatic oil, used as a perfume by the Jews.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: any of various trees or shrubs of the genus Cassia having pinnately compound leaves and usually yellow flowers followed by long seedpods
2: some genus Cassia species often classified as members of the genus Senna or genus Chamaecrista [syn: genus Cassia, Cassia]
3: Chinese tree with aromatic bark; yields a less desirable cinnamon than Ceylon cinnamon [syn: cassia, cassia-bark tree, Cinnamomum cassia]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English, from Latin, from Greek kassia, of Semitic origin; akin to Hebrew q???‘?h cassia Date: before 12th century 1. a dried coarse cinnamon bark (as from Cinnamomum cassia) 2. any of a genus (Cassia) of leguminous herbs, shrubs, and trees of warm regions

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 any tree of the genus Cassia, bearing leaves from which senna is extracted. 2 the cinnamon-like bark of this tree used as a spice. Etymology: L f. Gk kasia f. Heb. kesî'ah bark like cinnamon

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Cassia Cas"sia, n. [L. cassia and casia, Gr. ? and ?; of Semitic origin; cf. Heb. qets[=i][=a]h, fr. q[=a]tsa' to cut off, to peel off.] 1. (Bot.) A genus of leguminous plants (herbs, shrubs, or trees) of many species, most of which have purgative qualities. The leaves of several species furnish the senna used in medicine. 2. The bark of several species of Cinnamomum grown in China, etc.; Chinese cinnamon. It is imported as cassia, but commonly sold as cinnamon, from which it differs more or less in strength and flavor, and the amount of outer bark attached. Note: The medicinal ``cassia'' (Cassia pulp) is the laxative pulp of the pods of a leguminous tree (Cassia fistula or Pudding-pipe tree), native in the East Indies but naturalized in various tropical countries. Cassia bark, the bark of Cinnamomum cassia, etc. The coarser kinds are called Cassia lignea, and are often used to adulterate true cinnamon. Cassia buds, the dried flower buds of several species of cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia, atc..). Cassia oil, oil extracted from cassia bark and cassia buds; -- called also oil of cinnamon.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Cassia Cas"sia, n. [L. cassia and casia, Gr. ? and ?; of Semitic origin; cf. Heb. qets[=i][=a]h, fr. q[=a]tsa' to cut off, to peel off.] 1. (Bot.) A genus of leguminous plants (herbs, shrubs, or trees) of many species, most of which have purgative qualities. The leaves of several species furnish the senna used in medicine. 2. The bark of several species of Cinnamomum grown in China, etc.; Chinese cinnamon. It is imported as cassia, but commonly sold as cinnamon, from which it differs more or less in strength and flavor, and the amount of outer bark attached. Note: The medicinal ``cassia'' (Cassia pulp) is the laxative pulp of the pods of a leguminous tree (Cassia fistula or Pudding-pipe tree), native in the East Indies but naturalized in various tropical countries. Cassia bark, the bark of Cinnamomum cassia, etc. The coarser kinds are called Cassia lignea, and are often used to adulterate true cinnamon. Cassia buds, the dried flower buds of several species of cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia, atc..). Cassia oil, oil extracted from cassia bark and cassia buds; -- called also oil of cinnamon.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(1.) Hebrew _kiddah'_, i.e., "split." One of the principal spices of the holy anointing oil (Ex. 30:24), and an article of commerce (Ezek. 27:19). It is the inner bark of a tree resembling the cinnamon (q.v.), the Cinnamomum cassia of botanists, and was probably imported from India.

(2.) Hebrew pl. _ketzi'oth_ (Ps. 45:8). Mentioned in connection with myrrh and aloes as being used to scent garments. It was probably prepared from the peeled bark, as the Hebrew word suggests, of some kind of cinnamon.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kash'-a: Two Hebrew words,

(1) qiddah, which is mentioned, along with myrrh, cinnamon, calamus and olive oil, as one of the ingredients of the "holy anointing oil" (Ex 30:24); it was, too, one of the wares in which Vedan and Javan traded with Tyre (Eze 27:19); it is identified in the Peshitta and the Targum with (2).

(2) qetsi`oth (plural only, probably referring to the strips of bark), a word from which is derived the Greek kasia, and hence, cassia (Ps 45:8).

It is probable that both (1) and (2) refer to Cassia lignea, the inner bark of Cinnamomum cassia, a plant growing in eastern Asia closely allied to that which yields the cinnamon of commerce. It is a fragrant, aromatic bark and was probably used in a powdered form. Both as an ingredient in unguents and as one of the perfumes at funerals, cassia, like cinnamon, was much used by the Romans. The cassia of Scripture must be clearly distinguished from the entirely distinct Cassia lanceolata and C. obovata which yield the familiar senna. The proper name KEZIAH (which see) is the singular form of ketsi`oth.

E. W. G. Masterman