Calamus definition

Calamus





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5 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]:

  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)]

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Calamus
     the Latin for cane, Hebrew _Kaneh_, mentioned (Ex. 30:23) as one
     of the ingredients in the holy anointing oil, one of the sweet
     scents (Cant. 4:14), and among the articles sold in the markets
     of Tyre (Ezek. 27:19). The word designates an Oriental plant
     called the "sweet flag," the Acorus calamus of Linnaeus. It is
     elsewhere called "sweet cane" (Isa. 43:24; Jer. 6:20). It has an
     aromatic smell, and when its knotted stalk is cut and dried and
     reduced to powder, it forms an ingredient in the most precious
     perfumes. It was not a native of Palestine, but was imported
     from Arabia Felix or from India. It was probably that which is
     now known in India by the name of "lemon grass" or "ginger
     grass," the Andropogon schoenanthus. (See {CANE}.)
     

From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]:

  Calamus, IA (city, FIPS 9820)
    Location: 41.82665 N, 90.75967 W
    Population (1990): 379 (170 housing units)
    Area: 1.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
    Zip code(s): 52729

From U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000) [gaz-place]:

  Calamus, IA -- U.S. city in Iowa
     Population (2000):    394
     Housing Units (2000): 173
     Land area (2000):     0.487306 sq. miles (1.262116 sq. km)
     Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
     Total area (2000):    0.487306 sq. miles (1.262116 sq. km)
     FIPS code:            09820
     Located within:       Iowa (IA), FIPS 19
     Location:             41.826669 N, 90.759793 W
     ZIP Codes (1990):     52729
     Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
     Headwords:
      Calamus, IA
      Calamus
  

















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