Tur"mer*ic (?), n. [F. terre-m'erite, NL. terramerita, turmerica; apparently meaning, excellent earth, but perhaps a corruption of Ar. kurkum. Cf. Curcuma.]
1. Bot.
An East Indian plant of the genus Curcuma, of the Ginger family.
2.
The root or rootstock of the Curcuma longa. It is externally grayish, but internally of a deep, lively yellow or saffron color, and has a slight aromatic smell, and a bitterish, slightly acrid taste. It is used for a dye, a medicine, a condiment, and a chemical test.
© Webster 1913.
Tur"mer*ic, a. Chem.
Of or pertaining to turmeric; resembling, or obtained from, turmeric; specif., designating an acid obtained by the oxidation of turmerol.
Turmeric paper Chem., paper impregnated with turmeric and used as a test for alkaline substances, by which it is changed from yellow to brown. -- Turmeric root. Bot. (a) Bloodroot. (b) Orangeroot.
© Webster 1913.