arrowroot
Pronunciation: /ˈæɹə(ʊ)ɹuːt/
The English word “arrowroot” has 4 meanings listed here.
noun
- Maranta arundinacea from the Marantaceae family, a large perennial herb native to the Caribbean area with green leaves about 15 centimeters long.
- Usually preceded by an attributive word: some other plant whose rhizomes are used to prepare a substance similar to arrowroot (sense 3), such as Zamia integrifolia (Florida arrowroot) or Pueraria montana var. lobata (Japanese arrowroot or kudzu).
- A starchy substance obtained from the rhizomes of an arrowroot plant used as a thickener.
- Other plants with similar appearance or properties, such as common yarrow (Achillea millefolium)|
Etymology
From Lokono aru-aru (literally “meal of meals”), influenced by arrow + root because the plant’s “roots” (more accurately rhizomes) are used on wounds from poison darts to absorb the poison.
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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.