Also in anglicized form curcume. [med. or mod.L. ad. Arab. kurkum saffron, turmeric: see CROCUS.] a. Bot. A genus of Zingiberaceæ consisting of plants with perennial tuberous roots, furnishing various commercial substances, as zedoary, East Indian arrow-root, mango-ginger, turmeric, etc. b. The substance called Turmeric, prepared from the tubers of C. longa, and used as an ingredient in curry powder, as a chemical test for alkalis, and for medicinal and other purposes. attrib., as curcuma paper, turmeric paper used as a chemical test.
1617. Mosan, trans. Wirtzung’s Pract. Physicke, 2nd Table, Turmericke, Cyperus Indicus, the Apothecaries call it Curcuma.
1633. Gerarde, Herbal, I. xxvii. 34.
1712. trans. Pomet’s Hist. Drugs, I. 35. The Curcuma of the Shops is a small Root, about the Size of that of Ginger.
1800. Med. Jrnl., III. 84. The liquor becomes alkaline, and reddens paper prepared with curcuma.
c. 1865. Circ. Sc., I. 351/2. In China, tea is frequently coloured with curcume.
1885. H. O. Forbes, Nat. Wand. E. Archip., 196. Rice yellowed with curcuma powder.
Hence Curcumin, Chem., the coloring matter of turmeric.
1850. Pereira, Mat. Med., II. I. 1125. Curcumin … is obtained … by digesting the alcoholic extract of turmeric in ether.
1875. J. Attfield, Chem. (ed. 6), 531. Turmeric … owes its yellow colour to curcumin, a resinous matter.
