Asafoetida

//ˌæsəˈfɛtɪdə// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A resinous gum from the stem and roots of Ferula species such as Ferula foetida and Ferula assa-foetida, having a strong, unpleasant smell, with culinary and medical uses. uncountable, usually

    "Nigh Whormoot are Duzgun, Laztan-De, and other Townes, where is got the best Assa-Fætida through all the Orient: the tree is like our brier in height, the leaves resemble Fig leaves, the root the Radish: the vertue had need be much, it stincks so odiously."

  2. 2
    the brownish gum resin of various plants; has strong taste and odor; formerly used as an antispasmodic wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
asafetidaasafetidaasantdevil's dunghingstinking gum

Example

More examples

"The asafoetida is gone, but the smell remains."

Etymology

Late Middle English, from Medieval Latin asafoetida, from Persian ازا / آزا (azâ, âzâ, “mastic”) + Latin foetida, feminine of foetidus (“bad-smelling”).

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.