mastic

mastic
/mas"tik/, n.
1. Also called lentisk. a small Mediterranean tree, Pistacia lentiscus, of the cashew family, that is the source of an aromatic resin used in making varnish and adhesives.
2. any of several similar or related trees, as a pepper tree, Schinus molle, of western South America.
3. the resin obtained from the mastic.
4. any similar resin, esp. one yielded by other trees of the same genus.
5. Building Trades.
a. any of various preparations containing bituminous materials and used as an adhesive or seal.
b. a pasty form of cement used for filling holes in masonry or plaster.
[1350-1400; ME mastyk < L mastiche < Gk mastíche chewing gum, akin to mastichân to gnash the teeth]

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resin
also spelled  Mastich,  

      aromatic resin, obtained as a soft exudation from incisions in mastic trees. It is used chiefly to make pale varnishes for protecting metals and paintings. When dispersed in bodied (thickened by heating) linseed oil, mastic is known as megilp and is used as a colour vehicle. Mastic is also used as an adhesive in dental work.

      The mastic, or lentisc, tree, Pistacia lentiscus, an evergreen shrub of the sumac family (Anacardiaceae), is indigenous to the Mediterranean coast region from Syria to Spain, and particularly the Greek archipelago, but grows also in Portugal, Morocco, and the Canary Islands. Since about AD 50, production of the resin has been confined almost exclusively to the Greek island of Khíos in the Aegean Sea.

      The resin is contained in the bark and not in the wood, and in order to collect it numerous vertical incisions are made, during June, July, and August, in the stem and chief branches. The resin speedily exudes and hardens into oval tears, which are collected every 15 days. The collection is repeated several times between June and September. Mastic is usually marketed in the form of roundish tears about the size of peas. These are transparent, with a glassy fracture, of a pale yellow or faint greenish tinge, which darkens slowly.

      Other trees yield resins that are referred to as mastic. In Algeria, Pistacia atlantica yields a solid resin. Cape mastic is the produce of Euryops multifidus, the resin bush, or hairpuis bosch of the Boers—a plant of the family Compositae. Dammar resin is sometimes sold under the name of mastic. The West Indian mastic tree is Bursera gummifera, and the Peruvian mastic, or California pepper tree, is Schinus molle. The name mastic tree is also applied to a timber tree, Sideroxylon mastichodendron, family Sapotaceae, which grows in the West Indies and on the coast of Florida.

      The term mastic is also used for various pasty materials used as protective coatings (for example, in thermal insulation and in waterproofing) and as cements (for example, in setting tile or wall panels).

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  • mastic — [ mastik ] n. m. • XIIIe; bas lat. masticum, gr. mastikhê 1 ♦ Résine jaunâtre qui découle d incisions pratiquées au tronc ou aux branches du lentisque. 2 ♦ Cour. Mélange pâteux et adhésif durcissant à l air. ⇒ futée. Mastic de carrosserie. (1767) …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • mastic — MASTÍC, masticuri, s.n. 1. Material fluid sau vâscos alcătuit dintr un amestec de substanţe minerale sau vegetale, care are proprietatea de a se întări în contact cu aerul şi care serveşte la lipit, chituit, nivelat etc. ♦ Preparat vâscos obţinut …   Dicționar Român

  • Mastic — can refer to: Mastic (plant resin), a resin obtained from Pistacia lentiscus Var. Chia (a shrub native to the Mediterranean region) False Mastic (Sideroxylon foetidissimum), a tree native to Florida, the Caribbean, and Central America A high… …   Wikipedia

  • mastic — MASTIC. s. m. (L S se prononce.) Espece de gomme. Le mastic fortifie le cerveau. mascher du mastic. le mastic vient principalement dans l Isle de Chio. Il signifie aussi, Certaine composition dont on se sert pour joindre, coller & enduire. Il… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Mastic — Mas tic, n. [F., fr. L. mastiche, mastichum, Gr. ?, fr. ? to chew, because of its being used in the East for chewing.] [Written also {mastich}.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Bot.) A low shrubby tree of the genus {Pistacia} ({Pistacia Lentiscus}), growing… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • MASTIC — MASTIC, the shrub Pistacia lentiscus, known as medicinal mastic. It exudes a gum which in the Midrash is called mastikhe. It has been identified by some with the lot (AV myrrh, JPS laudanum ) mentioned among the choice products of the land which… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Mastic — Mastic, NY U.S. Census Designated Place in New York Population (2000): 15436 Housing Units (2000): 4732 Land area (2000): 4.480560 sq. miles (11.604596 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.339841 sq. miles (0.880183 sq. km) Total area (2000): 4.820401 sq …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Mastic, NY — U.S. Census Designated Place in New York Population (2000): 15436 Housing Units (2000): 4732 Land area (2000): 4.480560 sq. miles (11.604596 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.339841 sq. miles (0.880183 sq. km) Total area (2000): 4.820401 sq. miles (12 …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • mastic — Mastic, Mastiche. L arbre de laquelle degoutte le mastic, qui porte trois fois l an, Lentiscus. Mastic dont les faiseurs d images, de pierres, collent les pierres ensemble, Lithocolla Dioscor. lib. 5 …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • mastic — [mas′tik] n. [ME mastik < OFr mastic < LL mastichum < L mastiche < Gr mastichē, akin to mastichan: see MASTICATE] 1. a yellowish resin obtained from a small Mediterranean evergreen tree (Pistacia lentiscus) of the cashew family, used… …   English World dictionary

  • mastic — (n.) resin obtained from certain trees, late 14c., from O.Fr. mastic (13c.) and directly from L.L. mastichum, from L. mastiche, from Gk. mastikhe, of uncertain origin, probably related to masasthai to chew (see MASTICATION (Cf. mastication)). The …   Etymology dictionary

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