American arrowroot
- noun
- /əˈmɛrɪkən ˈɛroʊˌrʊt/
- US
:
arrurruz americano
- The starch extracted from American arrowroot is prized for its purity and fine texture.
Examples
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You can use American arrowroot as a gluten-free thickener in soups and sauces.
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Farmers in the Caribbean cultivate American arrowroot for both local use and export.
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The American arrowroot plant grows abundantly in the Caribbean.
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You can use American arrowroot as a thickening agent in sauces.
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The starch extracted from American arrowroot is prized for its purity and fine texture.
-
You can use American arrowroot as a gluten-free thickener in soups and sauces.
-
Farmers in the Caribbean cultivate American arrowroot for both local use and export.
Synonyms
1
6.9
A tropical plant with roots that make a fine starch for cooking
A Caribbean plant with white flowers whose root makes arrowroot starch used in cooking
A tropical plant with white flowers whose root makes arrowroot starch used in cooking
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase names a variety of 'arrowroot' modified by the adjective 'American' (i.e., arrowroot associated with the Americas), so the overall meaning is directly derived from the constituents. This is a straightforward adjective + noun compositional pattern common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand it.
Etymology
American arrowroot may come from an old Caribbean idea: people used the plant's starchy root as a dressing for arrow wounds, so they called it 'arrow root'. That's why today American arrowroot means a plant whose root gives a very pure starch used as a 'thickener' in cooking.