Definition of "guaiacum" [guaiacum]

• A tree of the genus Guaiacum; a lignum vitae. (noun)
• The wood of a guaiacum. (noun)
• A greenish-brown resin obtained from this tree, used medicinally and in varnishes. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Contains images as well as text written in Spanish and Náhuatl. gente de razon: "civilized" people. guaiacum: wood from a tree native to the West Indies, used as a medicine, especially for syphilis; sometimes called "palo santo." limpieza de sangre: "purity of blood"; the absence of Jewish or Muslim ancestors."
• "Chocolate was not the only American product to do so — tobacco, sarsaparilla, and guaiacum were just a few of the other new plants to accumulate fantastic claims of curing power to their names."
• "This was guaiacum, sometimes called palo santo, a wood from a tree native to the West Indies."