Tragacanth \Trag"a*canth\, n. [L. tragacanthum tragacanth,
tragacantha the plant producing tragacanth, Gr. ? ? a he-goat
+ ? a thorn: cf. F. tragacanthe.]
A kind of gum procured from a spiny leguminous shrub
(Astragalus gummifer) of Western Asia, and other species of
Astragalus. It comes in hard whitish or yellowish flakes or
filaments, and is nearly insoluble in water, but slowly
swells into a mucilaginous mass, which is used as a
substitute for gum arabic in medicine and the arts. Called
also gum tragacanth.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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