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sassafras

sassafras

8.0
A North American tree with leaves and bark that have a strong smell and are used for flavoring and medicine
  • noun
  • /ˈsæsəˌfræs/
  • US
translation icon : sassafrás
  • The sassafras tree is known for its aromatic leaves, which are used to make tea.

Examples

  • The bark of the sassafras tree is harvested to extract valuable essential oil.

  • In traditional medicine, sassafras has been used for its healing properties.

  • Not goldfish, not sassafras tree, you know, kitten, you got to have the right thing to fill in that spot.

Synonyms

sassafras tree
vssassafras
  • US
7.2

A North American tree with strong smelling leaves and bark used to make oil and tea

is broader and includes traditional use for flavoring and medicine
sassafras albidum
vssassafras
  • Specialized
9.0

A North American tree with fragrant leaves and bark used to make oil and tea

focuses on uses for flavoring and medicine rather than wood details

Compounds

sassafras albidum
  • Specialized
9.0

A North American tree with fragrant leaves and bark used to make oil and tea

sassafras laurel
  • Australian
9.9

A tree that has leaves with a strong smell and gives hard wood for furniture

A leaf from the sassafras tree that adds flavor to food and drinks

8.9

An oil from sassafras tree roots used to make perfumes and to kill germs

A North American tree with strong smelling leaves and bark used to make oil and tea

Surface Forms

sassafras singular
sassafras plural

Etymology

Sassafras came into English from the Spanish or Portuguese name sasafras, which was the name for a fragrant American tree and likely comes from a native word. Because the tree was famous for its strong smell and use in drinks and medicine, that name stayed as the name of the 'tree' today.