Quassia
/ˈkwæʃ.i.ə/noun
A tropical tree or shrub of the genus Quassia, especially Quassia amara, whose intensely bitter wood has been used medicinally.
Did you know?The genus Quassia was named in the eighteenth century after Quassia, an enslaved healer in Suriname whose knowledge of the plant’s medicinal bark was reported to European naturalists.
Etymological Timeline
18th Century
Suriname Dutch
Quassia
“The personal name of a Surinamese healer associated with the medicinal plant; the name’s deeper linguistic origin is uncertain.”
1730s–1750s
European botanical Latin
Quassia
“A plant name adopted in European scientific writing for the bitter medicinal tree learned about in Suriname.”
1762
Latin
Quassia amara
“Linnaeus formally established the genus name Quassia; amara means “bitter.””
18th Century
English
quassia
“The bitter wood or medicinal preparation obtained from Quassia trees.”
Modern English
English
quassia
“A tropical tree, its wood, or extracts used historically as a bitter tonic and insect deterrent.”
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