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sar·sa·pa·ril·la (săs′pə-rĭlə, särs′-)
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n.
1.
a. Any of several tropical American plants of the genus Smilax, having fragrant roots used as a flavoring.
b. The dried roots of any of these plants.
c. A carbonated soft drink flavored with extracts of certain plant roots or with artificial flavorings having a similar flavor.
2. Either of two North American plants (Aralia hispida or A. nudicaulis) having umbels of small white flowers and bipinnately compound leaves.
[Spanish zarzaparrilla : zarza, bramble (alteration of earlier sarza, alteration of Old Spanish arça, of pre-Roman Iberian origin) + parrilla, diminutive of parra, grapevine (from the vining habit and clusters of grapelike berries of many species of Smilax ).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

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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