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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. Any of various chiefly tropical or subtropical trees, shrubs, or herbs of the genus Cassia in the pea family, having pinnately compound leaves, usually yellow flowers, and long, flat or cylindrical pods.
  2. n. A tropical Asian evergreen tree (Cinnamomum cassia) having aromatic bark used as a substitute for cinnamon.
  3. n. The bark of this tree.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. See Cassia.
  2. n. A very large genus of leguminous herbs, shrubs, and trees, mostly of tropical or warm regions. They have abruptly pinnate leaves, nearly regular flowers, and distinct stamens with the anthers opening by pores. The leaves of several species constitute the well-known cathartic drug called senna. The purging cassia, C. Fistula, an ornamental tree of the old world, but frequently planted in tropical America, has very long cylindrical pods containing a sweetish pulp which is used in medicine as a mild laxative. The seeds of C. occidentalis are used in the tropics as a substitute for coffee,and are known as negro or Mogdad coffee, though they contain no caffein. Some species furnish ornamental woods, and several are in cultivation, many having handsome foliage and conspicuous yellow flowers.
  3. n. [lowercase] The cinnamon cassia, wild cassia, or cassia-bark. See cassia-lignea.

Wiktionary

  1. n. countable Any of several tropical leguminous plants, of the genus Cassia, used medicinally as senna.
  2. n. uncountable A spice (similar to cinnamon) made from the bark of the Chinese cinnamon, Cinnamomum aromaticum.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. (Bot.) A genus of leguminous plants (herbs, shrubs, or trees) of many species, most of which have purgative qualities. The leaves of several species furnish the senna used in medicine.
  2. n. The bark of several species of Cinnamomum grown in China, etc.; Chinese cinnamon. It is imported as cassia, but commonly sold as cinnamon, from which it differs more or less in strength and flavor, and the amount of outer bark attached.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. Chinese tree with aromatic bark; yields a less desirable cinnamon than Ceylon cinnamon
  2. n. some genus Cassia species often classified as members of the genus Senna or genus Chamaecrista
  3. n. any of various trees or shrubs of the genus Cassia having pinnately compound leaves and usually yellow flowers followed by long seedpods

Etymologies

  1. Middle English, from Latin, a kind of plant, from Greek kasiā, kassiā, probably of Phoenician origin; akin to Hebrew qəṣīyâ, probably ultimately of Chinese origin. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

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Lists

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Comments

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  • annabethblue how interesting! Dec 6, 2007

  • arby Not to be confused (as I just did) with cassis, which is French for blackcurrant. Dec 6, 2007

  • arby Wikipedia sez:

    "Most of the spice sold as cinnamon in the United States and Canada (where true cinnamon is still generally unknown) is actually cassia. In some cases, cassia is labeled "Chinese cinnamon" to distinguish it from the more expensive true cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), which is the preferred form of the spice used in Mexico and Europe. "Indonesian cinnamon" can also refer to Cinnamomum burmannii, which is also commonly sold in the United States, labeled only as cinnamon."

    So, that makes cassia the Poor Man's Cinnamon. Cinnamon's Red-Headed Stepchild.

    *wants to taste REAL cinnamon* Dec 6, 2007

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‘cassia’ has been looked up 2028 times, added to 11 lists, commented on 3 times, and has a Scrabble score of 8.