[tur.mer.ic] n [modif. of MF terre merite saffron, fr. ML terra merita, lit., deserving or deserved earth] (1545) 1: an East Indian perennial herb (Curcuma domestica syn. C. longa) of the ginger family with a large aromatic yellow rhizome
2: the cleaned, boiled, dried, and usu. pulverized rhizome of the turmeric plant used as a coloring agent, a flavoring, or a stimulant
3: a yellow to reddish brown dyestuff obtained from turmeric