n.
Pronunciation: ' gw ī - ə -k ə m, ' g ī -
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin, from Spanish guayaco, from Taino guayacan
Date: 1553
1 : any of a genus ( Guaiacum ) of the caltrop family of tropical American evergreen trees and shrubs having pinnate leaves, usually blue flowers, and capsular fruit
2 a : the hard greenish-brown wood of a guaiacum (esp. Guaiacum officinale ) b : a resin with a faint balsamic odor that is obtained from the trunk of two guaiacums ( G. officinale and G. sanctum ) and often used as a clinical reagent