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Word of the Day – Asafoetida

By July 16, 2025Word of the Day

Asafoetida (noun)

as-af-oh-tid-a

A bitter resin with an unpleasant onion-like smell, obtained from the roots of some umbelliferous plants of the genus Ferula: formerly used as a carminative, antispasmodic, and expectorant

C14: from Medieval Latin, from asa gum (compare Persian azā mastic) + Latin foetidus evil-smelling, fetid.

Example sentences

“It even derives its name from that scent – asafoetida in Latin means “fetid gum”.”

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