Sassafras
name, noun
name, noun ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A tree of species Sassafras albidum of the eastern United States and Asia having mitten-shaped leaves and red, aromatic heartwood. countable
- 2 dried root bark of the sassafras tree wordnet
- 3 A tree of any species in the genus Sassafras. countable
- 4 yellowwood tree with brittle wood and aromatic leaves and bark; source of sassafras oil; widely distributed in eastern North America wordnet
- 5 The bark of the root of this plant, used for medicinal and (mostly historically) culinary purposes and formerly a main ingredient in root beer. uncountable
"our allowance was somewhat bettered, by a daily proportion of Bisket, which the sailers would pilfer to sell, give, or exchange with us, for money, Saxefras, furres, or love."
Proper Noun
- 1 A locality in Latrobe council area and the Meander Valley council area, northern Tasmania, Australia.
- 2 A locality in the City of Knox and the Shire of Yarra Ranges, Victoria, Australia.
Example
More examples"He used flavorings from trees and plants like sassafras and sarsaparilla, wintergreen, birch bark, herbs and juniper berries."
Etymology
From Spanish sasafrás, possibly from Latin saxifragus (“stone-breaking”) from the habit of certain plants growing in cracks in boulders. If this etymology is correct, it is a doublet of saxifrage.
Related phrases
More for "sassafras"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.