Asafetida \As`a*fet"i*da\, Asafoetida \As`a*f[oe]t"i*da\, n. [Asa + L. foetidus fetid.]

The fetid gum resin or inspissated juice of a large umbelliferous plant (Ferula asaf[oe]tida) of Persia and the East Indies. It is used in medicine as an antispasmodic. [Written also assaf[oe]tida.]

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)