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cat·e·chu

(kătə-ch′)

1. A spiny Asian tree (Acacia catechu) having bipinnately compound leaves, spikes of yellow flowers, and dark heartwood.

2. A raw material obtained from the heartwood of this plant, used in the preparation of tannins and brown dyes. In both senses also called cutch.

[Probably from Malay kachu, probably from Dravidian karaiyal, karaiccal, that which is dissolved, from karai, to melt.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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