Asaron

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A crystalline aromatic compound found in the essential oil of plants such as wild ginger and sweet flag
2. An odorous organic substance extracted from the roots of wild ginger, used in perfumery and flavouring
3. A naturally occurring phenylpropene compound present in the oil of certain aromatic plants of the genus Asarum

Etymology: In ancient Greek medicine, "asaron" named a low-growing plant with glossy, kidney-shaped leaves and small brownish flowers hidden near the ground. Ancient writers, including Dioscorides and Pliny, described it as a remedy, and the Latin form "asarum" carried the name into later European herbals. The plant is today usually called asarabacca or wild ginger, a name that reflects its use as a spice-like root with a ginger-like smell. The Greek origin of the name is uncertain. Scholars have proposed several explanations, but none is firmly established, so the meaning of the word itself is not known with confidence. In English, the term is now used mainly for the plant genus "Asarum" and for the aromatic oil extracted from its root, which contains a compound also called asarone.