n. A bitter, aromatic gum resin extracted from a southwest Asian plant (Ferula gummosa syn. F. galbaniflua) in the parsley family, used in incense and in traditional medicine. [Middle English, from Latin, from Greek khalbanē, of Semitic origin; see x̣lb in the Appendix of Semitic roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.