Calami

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Calamus \Cal"a*mus\, n.; pl. {Calami}. [L., a reed. See {Halm}.]
     1. (Bot.) The indian cane, a plant of the Palm family. It
        furnishes the common rattan. See {Rattan}, and {Dragon's
        blood}.
        [1913 Webster]
  


     2. (Bot.) A species of {Acorus} ({Acorus calamus}), commonly
        called {calamus}, or {sweet flag}. The root has a pungent,
        aromatic taste, and is used in medicine as a stomachic;
        the leaves have an aromatic odor, and were formerly used
        instead of rushes to strew on floors.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. (Zool.) The horny basal portion of a feather; the barrel
        or quill.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  calami
       See {calamus}

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  calamus
       n 1: any tropical Asian palm of the genus Calamus; light tough
            stems are a source of rattan canes
       2: the aromatic root of the sweet flag used medicinally
       3: perennial marsh plant having swordlike leaves and aromatic
          roots [syn: {sweet flag}, {sweet calamus}, {myrtle flag},
          {flagroot}, {Acorus calamus}]
       4: a genus of Sparidae [syn: {genus Calamus}]
       5: the hollow shaft of a feather [syn: {quill}, {shaft}]
       [also: {calami} (pl)]