n.
Pronunciation: ' kwä-sh ə
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin, genus name of a South American tree, from Quassi 18th century Surinam slave who discovered the medicinal value of quassia
Date: 1770
: a drug from the heartwood and bark of various tropical trees of the ailanthus family used especially as a bitter tonic and remedy for roundworms in children and as an insecticide