gutta-percha

gutta-percha
/gut"euh perr"cheuh/, n.
1. the milky juice, nearly white when pure, of various Malaysian trees of the sapodilla family, esp. Palaquium gutta.
2. the tough, rubberlike gum made from this and used as a dental cement, in the manufacture of golf balls, for insulating electric wires, etc.
[1835-45; < Malay gatah (sp. getah) tree sap + perca rag, strip of cloth; perh. so called from the appearance of the sap (Malay getah taban) in its marketed form]

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▪ latex product
      yellowish or brownish leathery material derived from the latex of certain trees in Malaysia, the South Pacific, and South America, especially Palaquium oblongifolia and, formerly, P. gutta. To obtain the latex, the tree may be felled and rings cut in the bark; in plantation cultivation the fresh leaves are gathered, chopped, and crushed. The mass is boiled in water and the gum removed and pressed into blocks.

      On heating, gutta-percha becomes plastic and is very resistant to water. It has been widely used as insulation for underwater electrical equipment and cables, in the manufacture of golf balls, and in chewing gum. In the second half of the 20th century it steadily lost ground to synthetics.

      Gutta-percha closely resembles balata, obtained from Bumelia retusa, and chicle.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • GUTTA-PERCHA — Matériau jaunâtre ou brunâtre, ayant l’apparence du cuir, la gutta percha provient du latex de certains arbres de Malaisie, du Pacifique Sud et d’Amérique du Sud, en particulier Pallaquium oblongifolia et, jadis, P. gutta . Pour recueillir le… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Gutta-Percha — Voir « gutta percha » sur le Wiktionnaire …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Gutta Percha — (Gutta tuban, Gummi gettania). ist eine dem Kautschuk in vieler Beziehung ähnliche Substanz, welche durch Eindicken des Milchsaftes eines Baumes, Isonandra Gutta (I. percha Hooker), welcher in die Familie der Sapotaceen od. Ebenaceen gehört u. an …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • gutta-percha — 1845, from Malay getah percha, lit. the gum of percha, the name of the tree; the form of the word influenced by L. gutta drop. As the name of the tree itself, from 1860 …   Etymology dictionary

  • Gutta-percha — Gut ta per cha, n. [Malay gutah gum + pertja the tree from which is it procured.] A concrete juice produced by various trees found in the Malayan archipelago, especially by the {Isonandra Gutta}, syn. {Dichopsis Gutta}. It becomes soft, and… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gutta-Percha — Gutta Percha, der eingetrocknete Saft des hinterindischen Baumes Isonandra Gutta, dem Kautschuk sehr ähnlich, wird in heißem Wasser erweicht u. läßt sich alsdann beliebig formen. Mit Schwefel zusammengeschmolzen (vulkanisirt) wird die G. P. sehr… …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • gutta-percha — [gut΄ə pʉr′chə] n. [< Malay < getah, tree sap, latex + ? perca, rag, strip of cloth (so called because sold in strips): form infl. by L gutta, a drop] a rubberlike gum produced from the latex of various SE Asian trees (esp. genera Palaquium …   English World dictionary

  • Gutta-percha — Taxobox name = Gutta percha image width = 240px image caption = Palaquium gutta regnum = Plantae divisio = Magnoliophyta classis = Magnoliopsida ordo = Ericales familia = Sapotaceae genus = Palaquium genus authority = Blanco subdivision ranks =… …   Wikipedia

  • Gutta-percha — Structure isoprénique 1,4 trans d une chaîne polymère de gutta percha Palaquium gutt …   Wikipédia en Français

  • gutta-percha — The coagulated, purified, dried, milky juice of trees of the genera Palaguium and Payena (family Sapotaceae); used as a filling material in dentistry, and in the manufacture of splints and electrical insulators; a solution is used as a substitute …   Medical dictionary

  • gutta-percha — (gu tta pèr ka) s. f. •   Substance différant du caoutchouc, en ce qu elle n est ni élastique ni extensible bien que douée d une grande flexibilité ; elle devient plastique à une température élevée, se façonne, se soude alors comme une pâte… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

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