calamus Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun any tropical Asian palm of the genus Calamus; light tough stems are a source of rattan canes
  2. noun the aromatic root of the sweet flag used medicinally
  3. noun perennial marsh plant having swordlike leaves and aromatic roots
    sweet flag; sweet calamus; Acorus calamus; flagroot; myrtle flag.
  4. noun a genus of Sparidae
    genus Calamus.
  5. noun the hollow spine of a feather
    shaft; quill.

WordNet

Cal"a*mus noun
Etymology
L., a reed. See Halm.
Wordforms
plural Calami
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) The indian cane, a plant of the Palm family. It furnishes the common rattan. See Rattan, and Dragon's blood.
  2. (Bot.) A species of Acorus (A. calamus), commonly called calamus, or sweet flag. The root has a pungent, aromatic taste, and is used in medicine as a stomachic; the leaves have an aromatic odor, and were formerly used instead of rushes to strew on floors.
  3. (Zoöl.) The horny basal portion of a feather; the barrel or quill.

Webster 1913