tacamahac

American  

[tak-uh-muh-hak] / ˈtæk ə məˌhæk /

Also tacamahaca

noun

1. any of several resinous substances, used in incenses, ointments, etc.

2. any tree, as of the genera Bursera and Populus, yielding such a product.

3. balsam poplar.

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tacamahac British  

/ ˈtækəməˌhæk /

noun

1. any of several strong-smelling resinous gums obtained from certain trees, used in making ointments, incense, etc

2. any tree yielding this resin, esp the balsam poplar

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Etymology

Origin of tacamahac

1570–80; < Mexican Spanish tecama ( ha ) ca < Nahuatl tecamac resin used in medicine

Example Sentences

Nearly a world tree is this poplar, which in some one of its variable forms is called also tacamahac, and balsam poplar as well.

From Getting Acquainted with the Trees by McFarland, J. Horace (John Horace)

Nor is the balsam-poplar, or tacamahac, less delightfully fragrant, especially while the gummy buds are just beginning to unfold; this is an elegant growing tree, where it has room to expand into boughs.

From The Backwoods of Canada Being Letters From The Wife of an Emigrant Officer, Illustrative of the Domestic Economy of British America by Traill, Catharine Parr Strickland

The camp had been placed under a beautiful tree—the tacamahac, or balsam poplar.

From Popular Adventure Tales by Reid, Mayne