Kutch

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A large arid district in the Gujarat state of western India, known for its salt marshes and desert plains ; a brown astringent extract boiled from acacia wood and used in tanning and dyeing
2. A region of western India in Gujarat, bordering Pakistan and marked by vast salt flats ; a dark astringent substance obtained from certain acacia trees and used to tan leather
3. A desert region along India's western frontier in Gujarat state ; a brownish plant-derived resin prepared from acacia heartwood and employed for dyeing and tanning

Etymology: Kutch is an older English spelling of cutch, a dark brown astringent substance extracted by boiling the heartwood of the Indian acacia tree, "Acacia catechu". It was used for tanning leather, dyeing cloth, and, in South Asia, mixed with betel leaf and areca nut for chewing. The name most likely came into European languages through Portuguese traders, who took it from a Malay word, "kachu," for the same product. English eventually adopted the trade name, and the substance is now usually called catechu. The spelling "kutch" is easily confused with Kutch, the district of Gujarat in western India. The two are unrelated: the district's name comes from a local place-name, while the dye-and-tannin word is a trade term that travelled from Southeast Asia to Europe.

Synonyms: catechu, cutch