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n. 1. Any of several plants of the genus Ferula in the parsley family, native to dry regions in Iran and Afghanistan and having long, sturdy, hollow stems and roots yielding a brownish, strong-smelling resin. 2. The resin obtained from these plants, especially from the species Ferula assa-foetida, used as an ingredient in medicine and remedies and as a seasoning in South Asian cuisine. [Middle English, from Medieval Latin asafētida : asa, gum (from Persian azā, mastic) + Latin foetida, feminine of foetidus, stinking; see FETID.] |
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