tragacanth

English

Etymology

From Latin tragacantha, from Koine Greek τραγάκανθα (tragákantha, “tragacanth”), from Ancient Greek τράγος (trágos, “he-goat”) + ἄκανθα (ákantha, “thorn”). Doublet of adragant.

Noun

tragacanth (countable and uncountable, plural tragacanths)

1. A polysaccharide gum, extracted from several species of leguminous plants of the genus Astragalus, formerly used medicinally and now as a food additive. Also more fully gum tragacanth. [from 16th c.]
   • 1844, E.A.Poe, Marginalia:

     Where what I have to note is too much to be included within the narrow limits of a margin, I commit it to a slip of paper, and deposit it between the leaves; taking care to secure it by an imperceptible portion of gum tragacanth paste.

   • 2002, Victoria Finlay, Colour, Sceptre, published 2003, page 198:

     There would have been many gums and resins in these markets for our lute-maker to bind his wood with: […] gum tragacanth from Aleppo, which would be sold as thin and wrinkled worm-like pieces of shrub.

Synonyms

• E413 when used as a thickener, stabiliser and emulsifier

Translations

milkvetch gum

• Arabic: كَثِيرَاء f (kaṯīrāʔ), نَكَأَة f (nakaʔa) ~ نَكَعَة f (nakaʕa) (obsolete)
• Aramaic:

  Classical Syriac: ܐܢܩܬ ܐܝܠܐ m (ʾanqaṯ ʾaylā)

• Catalan: adraganta f, adragant (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 黃芪膠／黄芪胶 (huángqíjiāo), 石燕 (zh) (shíyàn), 石燕干 (shíyàngān)

• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: tragantti
• German: Tragant m
• Gujarati: please add this translation if you can
• Hebrew: נְכֹאת (he) f (nəḵōṯ)
• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Malay: katira, getah anggur
• Malayalam: please add this translation if you can
• Persian: گز (fa) (gaz), کتیرا (fa) (katirâ)
• Polish: tragakanta (pl) f, tragant m
• Portuguese: alcatira f, tragacanta (pt) f, adraganta f
• Sindhi: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: alquitira (es) f, tragacanta (es) f, adraganta f, adraganto (es) m
• Tamil: please add this translation if you can
• Telugu: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: kitre (tr), kitre zamkı, kitre sakızı, kitre gamı, taragakant (and with the like specifiers)