opopanax

Borrowed from Latin opopanax, from Hellenistic Greek ὀποπάναξ (opopánax), from Ancient Greek ὀπός (opós, “vegetable juice”) + πάναξ (pánax, “any of several plants believed to have medicinal benefits”).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /əˈpɒpənaks/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /əˈpɑpənæks/

opopanax (countable and uncountable, plural opopanaxes)

1. (obsolete) A gum resin obtained from the root of Opopanax chironium, formerly used in medicine.

   Synonym: bisabol

2. A perfume made from the gum resin of various trees.
   • 2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage, published 2007, page 450:

     they were hit by a strong polyaromatic gust [...] which included alcohol fumes, tobacco and hemp-smoke, a spectrum of inexpensive scent in which opopanax and vervain figured prominently

3. The popinac or opopanax tree (Acacia farnesiana, syn. Vachellia farnesiana), an acacia of America.

• opoponax

Borrowed from Latin opopanax, from Hellenistic Greek ὀποπάναξ (opopánax), from Ancient Greek ὀπός (opós, “vegetable juice”) + πάναξ (pánax).

• IPA^(key): /ɔ.pɔ.pa.naks/

• Audio:

  (file)

opopanax m (plural opopanax)

1. opopanax (all meanings)

• “opopanax”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.