tacamahac

English

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• tacamahaca

Etymology

From Nahuatl tecamac.

In the 19th century, some authorities questioned if tacamahac, tamarack, and hackmatack could be cognate to one another, perhaps all corruptions of one term, but such cognancy is unlikely.

Noun

tacamahac (plural tacamahacs)

1. A bitter balsamic resin or resinous exudation obtained from tropical American trees of the genus Elaphrium (Elaphrum tomentosum and Elaphrum tacamahaca), from East Indian trees of the genus Calophyllum, or from the balsam poplar.
2. Any tree yielding tacamahac resin, especially, in North America, the balsam poplar or balm of Gilead (Populus balsamifera).

Synonyms

• (the balsam poplar): hackmatack, tamarack

References

• tacamahac in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913