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🌳 A tropical tree 💊 A diet supplement
Garcinia cambogia

Garcinia cambogia

9.5
A tropical tree from Indonesia that makes an orange-brown gum used as a paint pigment
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Garcinia cambogia
  • Artists historically valued gamboge, a pigment derived from the resin of Garcinia cambogia.

Examples

  • Many artists use Garcinia cambogia resin for their paintings.

  • The fruit of the Garcinia cambogia tree is used in traditional medicine and cooking across Southeast Asia.

  • Botanists studied the spread of Garcinia cambogia in Indonesian rainforests.

  • The Garcinia cambogia tree thrives in tropical climates.

  • Many artists appreciate the unique yellow hue of gamboge, a pigment extracted from the resin of Garcinia cambogia.

  • In Indonesia, the sap of the Garcinia cambogia tree is harvested to produce a natural pigment used in art.

  • The dried resin from Garcinia cambogia is sought after for its brilliant color, which is prized by painters.

Synonyms

Garcinia gummi-gutta
vsGarcinia cambogia
  • Specialized
9.9

A low tree from Indonesia that makes an orange-brown gum used to make paint

is described generally as a tropical tree not low and spreading
gamboge tree
vsGarcinia cambogia
9.9

A low spreading Indonesian tree that makes orange gum used to make yellow paint

is stated generally as a tropical tree rather than stressing low spreading form
Garcinia hanburyi
vsGarcinia cambogia
  • Specialized
9.9

A low spreading tree from Indonesia that makes an orange brown gum used for yellow pigment

does not stress the yellow powdered pigment, describing pigment use generally

Surface Forms

Garcinia cambogia singular
Garcinia cambogias plural

Morphology

Garcinia + cambogia

The element 'Garcinia' signals a plant/genus (evergreen tree with edible fruit), so a learner knowing that could infer the phrase refers to a plant species. However 'cambogia' is a taxonomic epithet with no independent English meaning, and the specific sense 'a dietary supplement/extract used for weight loss' cannot be derived from the constituents, so the overall meaning is only partially predictable.

Etymology

Garcinia cambogia is a tropical tree whose sticky orange-brown gum, called 'gamboge', was used by artists as a bright yellow 'paint'. That's why the name often points to the plant behind this historic pigment.