Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A deciduous eastern North American tree (Sassafras albidum) having irregularly lobed leaves and aromatic bark, leaves, and roots.
  • noun The dried root bark of this plant, used as a source of safrole and formerly as a flavoring.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A tree, the only species of the genus Sassafras.
  • noun [capitalized] [NL. (C. G. Nees, 1836).] A genus of apetalous trees of the order Laurineæ and tribe Litseaceæ, characterized by an umbel-like inflorescence of diœcious flowers in loose and short racemes from terminal buds, and produced around the base of the new growth of the season.
  • noun Of New South Wales: Dorypha Sassafras of the same order, another large tree, with very fragrant leaves, and aromatic bark used in infusion as a tonic.
  • noun Of Queensland: a smaller related tree, Daphnandra micrantha.
  • noun A smaller related tree, Daphnandra micrantha, of the family Monimiaceæ.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Bot.) An American tree of the Laurel family (Sassafras officinale); also, the bark of the roots, which has an aromatic smell and taste.
  • noun a lofty tree (Doryophora Sassafras) with aromatic bark and leaves.
  • noun an aromatic tree (Laurelia sempervirens).
  • noun a similar tree (Laurelia Novæ Zelandiæ).
  • noun See Pichurim bean.
  • noun the sweet bay (Magnolia glauca). See Magnolia.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun countable A tree of species Sassafras albidum of the eastern United States and Asia having mitten-shaped leaves and red, aromatic heartwood.
  • noun countable A tree of any species in the genus Sassafras.
  • noun uncountable The bark of the root of this plant, used for medicinal and (mostly historically) culinary purposes and formerly a main ingredient in root beer.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun yellowwood tree with brittle wood and aromatic leaves and bark; source of sassafras oil; widely distributed in eastern North America
  • noun dried root bark of the sassafras tree

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Spanish sasafrás, from Late Latin saxifragia, kind of herb, variant of (herba) saxifraga, saxifrage; see saxifrage.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Spanish sasafras, possibly from Latin saxifragus ("stone-breaking") from the habit of certain plants growing in cracks in boulders.

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Examples

  • The sassafras is rusty, the beeches have yet to go from green to gold, and those wily, ancient oaks are always the last to give up their autumnal ghosts.

    2006 October - Telic Thoughts 2006

  • _Hartshorn_ applied to the stings of poisonous insects will allay the pain and stop the swelling; or apply oil of sassafras, which is better.

    The Whitehouse Cookbook (1887) The Whole Comprising a Comprehensive Cyclopedia of Information for the Home Mrs. F.L. Gillette

  • The sassafras is a beautiful shrub, and I cannot imagine why it has not been naturalized in England, for it has every appearance of being extremely hardy.

    Domestic Manners of the Americans 1832

  • She recalled the sassafras trees reaching much larger proportions and the wood being valued by chair makers for its lightness and resiliency.

    Everyday Citizen Christie Green 2008

  • When Gosnold prepared to return to England in his vessel, the "Concord," with a cargo of native products, such as sassafras, cedar, etc., those who had planned to remain and settle returned with him, fearing that they might not share in the expected profits.

    The New England Magazine, Volume 1, No. 5, Bay State Monthly, Volume 4, No. 5, May, 1886 Various

  • I am soooo glad I don't get hangovers ... and YES I do drink. sassafras

    Hangover Cures: Myth, Legend, Fact | Lifehacker Australia 2010

  • On Saturday mornings my mother would run into people she knew buying homemade pies, dried sassafras bark, or green bell peppers such exotic items in the southern Indiana of the early 1970s, before globalization folded the ends of the earth together, that people referred to them as “mangoes”.

    Day of Honey Annia Ciezadlo 2011

  • On Saturday mornings my mother would run into people she knew buying homemade pies, dried sassafras bark, or green bell peppers such exotic items in the southern Indiana of the early 1970s, before globalization folded the ends of the earth together, that people referred to them as “mangoes”.

    Day of Honey Annia Ciezadlo 2011

  • They love the leaves from trees, especially sassafras trees, and gobble them up quickly.

    Archive 2010-06-01 Olga Bonfiglio 2010

  • Some natural sassafras and nutmeg from the grapes, but none of the over-the-top oak to mask what might or might not be present in the fruit.

    Red, With Envy: Assessing 2007 Finger Lakes Reds 2009

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