calamus

[kal-uh-muh s] /ˈkæl ə məs/

noun, plural calami

[kal-uh-mahy] /ˈkæl əˌmaɪ/ (Show IPA)

the sweet flag, Acorus calamus.

its aromatic root.

any of various tropical Asian palms of the genus Calamus, some of which are a source of rattan.

the hollow base of a feather; a quill.

Origin

1350-1400; Middle English < Latin < Greek kálamos reed, stalk

Examples from the web for calamus

calamus: the hollow inner portion of the feather shaft that lacks barbs and attaches to the skin.

British Dictionary definitions for calamus

calamus

/ˈkæləməs/

noun (pl) -mi (-ˌmaɪ)

any tropical Asian palm of the genus Calamus, some species of which are a source of rattan and canes

another name for sweet flag

the aromatic root of the sweet flag

(ornithol) the basal hollow shaft of a feather; quill

Word Origin

C14: from Latin, from Greek kalamos reed, cane, stem

calamus in the Bible

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.)