name of the country in S. America also called Dutch Guiana; used attrib. in specific names of animals, plants and products, as Surinam bunting, darter, falcon, grass, medlar, quassia, rat, shrew, sprat, tern; Surinam bark, the bark of species of Andira, or that of Cinchona magnifolia, used in medicine; Surinam cherry, (a) a South American tree, Malpighia glabra, or its edible aromatic fruit; (b) a Brazilian tree, Eugenia uniflora, or its red cherry-like fruit; Surinam poison, a tropical leguminous plant, Tephrosia toxicaria, or the poison derived from the leaves; Surinam toad (also S. water toad), a large flat toad, the PIPA.
1844. Hoblyn, Dict. Terms Med., *Surinam Bark, worm bark. The bark of the Andira inermis, or Cabbage-bark tree.
1858. Simmonds, Dict. Trade, Surinam-bark, a cinchona bark of indifferent quality, the produce of Cinchona magnifolia.
1783. Latham, Gen. Synopsis Birds, III. 212. *Surinam B[unting]…. Bigger than a Lark, but like it in colour…. Inhabits Surinam. Ibid. (1785), VI. 626. *Surinam D[arter]…. It is often domesticated by the inhabitants, and known to them by the name of the Sun Bird. Ibid. (1781), I. 84. *Surinam F[alcon]. Falco sufflator, Lin.
1756. P. Browne, Jamaica, 300. *Surinam Grass. This plant was lately introduced to Jamaica.
1857. Henfrey, Bot., § 506. The *Surinam Medlar (Mimusops Elengi).
1756. P. Browne, Jamaica, 296. *Surinam Poison. This plant has been introduced into Jamaica, on account of its intoxicating qualities.
1876. Harley, Mat. Med. (ed. 6), 675. *Surinam Quassia Tree is the representative of a genus very closely allied to Picræna.
1774. Goldsm., Nat. Hist. (1824), III. 447. *Surinam rat, the phalanger, a small monkey.
1800. Shaw, Gen. Zool., I. II. 536. *Surinam Shrew. Sorex Surinamensis.
1854. Orr’s Circ. Sci., Org. Nat., I. 101. The most singular situation of the eyeball … is that of the *Surinam sprat.
1776. P. Brown, Illustr. Zool., 98. Pl. 39. The *Surinam Tern…. Size of a black bird.
1774. Goldsm., Nat. Hist. (1824), III. 145. The Pipal, or the *Surinam Toad.
1896. A. D. Bartlett, in Proc. Zool. Soc., 5 May, 595. One of the females of the Surinam Water-Toad in the warm tank at the Reptile House with her back covered with eggs.
b. Epithet of a variety of potato. ? Obs.
1796. Nemnich, Polygl.-Lex., Red and white Surinam, a sort of potatoes.
1815. J. Smith, Panorama Sci. & Art, II. 635. The ox-noble, Surinam, Irish purple, Howard or clustered, and red potatoes, are for fodder.
Hence Surinamine (also -ina), Chem. an alkaloid supposed to be contained in Surinam bark.
1838. T. Thomson, Chem. Org. Bodies, 290. Of Surinamina. This alkali was discovered in 1824, by M. Overduin, in the bark of the Geoffroya Surinamensis.
1852. W. Gregory, Handbk. Org. Chem., 366. Surinamine and Jamaicine are two alkaloids, found in Geoffrœa Surinamensis and G. inermis.
