asaf(o)etida

asafoetida or asafetida (as-uh-FET-i-duh) - n., any of several plants of the genus Ferula (of the parsley family) native to dry regions in Iran and Afghanistan having long, hollow stems and roots that yield a strong-smelling brown resin; the resin itself, especially from the species Ferula asafoetida, with an offensive onion-like odor and bitter taste, used formerly as an ingredient in medicines (as an antispasmodic and carminative) and currently as a seasoning in South Asian cuisine.


Vile stuff. Even with the -oe- spelling, pronounced with a short -e- sound. In use since the 14th century, adopted from Medieval Latin, from Latin asa, gum (from Persian āzā, mastic/gum) + Latin foetida, feminine of foetidus, fetid.

---L.