GUTTA-PERCHA


Meaning of GUTTA-PERCHA in English

[ ˌgʌtə'pə:tʃə ]

■ noun the hard tough coagulated latex of certain Malaysian trees, resembling rubber.

Origin

C19: from Malay getah perca , from getah 'gum' + perca 'strips of cloth' (which it resembles), alt. by assoc. with obs. gutta 'gum', from L. gutta 'a drop'.

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.