catgut

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A tough thin cord made from the treated and stretched intestines of certain animals, especially sheep, and used for stringing musical instruments and tennis rackets and for surgical ligatures.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The intestines of sheep (sometimes of the horse, the ass, or the mule), dried and twisted, used for strings of musical instruments and for other purposes; a string of this kind.
2. n. A sort of linen or canvas with wide interstices.
3. n. A name for one of the olive seaweeds, Chorda filum, which is allied to Laminaria. The plant Tephrosia Virginiana: so called on account of its long, slender, and very tough roots.
4. n. catgut impregnated with chromic acid, in consequence of which it is less quickly absorbed when used for sutures or ligatures in surgical operations.

Wiktionary

1. n. countable A cord of great toughness made from the intestines of animals, especially of sheep, used for strings of musical instruments, etc.
2. n. uncountable The material from which such cords are made.
3. n. uncountable A sort of linen or canvas, with wide interstices.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A cord of great toughness made from the intestines of animals, esp. of sheep, used for strings of musical instruments, etc.
2. n. A sort of linen or canvas, with wide interstices.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a strong cord made from the intestines of sheep and used in surgery
2. n. perennial subshrub of eastern North America having downy leaves yellowish and rose flowers and; source of rotenone