arrowroot

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A starch obtained from the rhizomes of a tropical American perennial herb (Maranta arundinacea). It is used especially in cooking as a thickener.
2. n. The rhizome of this plant, cooked and eaten as a vegetable or used for starch extraction.
3. n. The plant itself.
4. n. The edible starch obtained from the rhizomes or tubers of plants in the genera Canna and Tacca.
5. n. Any of these plants.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A starch obtained from the horizontal rhizomes of several species of Maranta. It is much used as food and for other purposes, and is obtained from the West Indies. The species from which arrowroot is most commonly made is M. arundinacea, hence called the arrowroot-plant. Other starches than that of Maranta are occasionally sold under the name of arrowroot. Brazilian arrowroot, or tapioca-meal, more usually known as cassava, is obtained from the fleshy root of Manihot utilissima, after the poisonous juice has been removed; East Indian arrowroot, from the large root-stocks of Curcuma angustifolia; Chinese arrowroot, from the creeping rhizomes of Nelumbium speciosum; English arrowroot, from the potato; Portland arrowroot, from the corms of Arum maculatum; and Oswego arrowroot, from Indian corn.

Wiktionary

1. n. A large perennial herb (Maranta arundinacea - family Marantaceae) native to the Caribbean area. It has large green leaves about 15 centimeters long with white stripes.
2. n. uncountable A starchy substance obtained from the roots of the arrowroot plant used as a thickener.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Bot.) A white-flowered west Indian plant of the genus Maranta, esp. Maranta arundinacea, now cultivated in many hot countries. Its root yields arrowroot starch. It said that the Indians used the roots to neutralize the venom in wounds made by poisoned arrows.
2. n. A nutritive starch obtained from the rootstocks of Maranta arundinacea, and used as food, esp. for children an invalids; also, a similar starch obtained from other plants, as various species of Maranta and Curcuma.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a nutritive starch obtained from the root of the arrowroot plant
2. n. white-flowered West Indian plant whose root yields arrowroot starch
3. n. canna grown especially for its edible rootstock from which arrowroot starch is obtained