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Arrowroot
Definitions
- 1 Maranta arundinacea from the Marantaceae family, a large perennial herb native to the Caribbean area with green leaves about 15 centimeters long. countable, uncountable
"The East India arrowroot was considered the best; and the French West India arrowroot not so good. The East India arrowroot had the finest grains; the second finest were those from the potato; and third the tous les mois or French West India arrowroot; […]"
- 2 canna grown especially for its edible rootstock from which arrowroot starch is obtained wordnet
- 3 Usually preceded by an attributive word: some other plant whose rhizomes are used to prepare a substance similar to arrowroot (sense 3), such as Zamia integrifolia (Florida arrowroot) or Pueraria montana var. lobata (Japanese arrowroot or kudzu). countable, uncountable
"Arrowroot (pia) is a member of the Tacca family. […] The ancient Hawaiians used the arrowroot (pia) as a food and as a medicine."
- 4 white-flowered West Indian plant whose root yields arrowroot starch wordnet
- 5 A starchy substance obtained from the rhizomes of an arrowroot plant used as a thickener. uncountable
"Dr. Ifill could state, with certainty, that all the arrow-root imported into this country from Barbadoes, was made from the maranta; […] The difference in the quality of the arrow-roots imported into this country, depended on the care which had been employed in the preparation. The greater number of times the fecula was washed, the purer it would be."
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- 6 a nutritive starch obtained from the root of the arrowroot plant wordnet
- 7 Other plants with similar appearance or properties, such as common yarrow (Achillea millefolium)| countable, uncountable
Etymology
From Lokono aru-aru (literally “meal of meals”), influenced by arrow + root because the plant’s “roots” (more accurately rhizomes) are used on wounds from poison darts to absorb the poison.
See also for "arrowroot"
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