gutta-percha Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a whitish rubber derived from the coagulated milky latex of gutta-percha trees; used for insulation of electrical cables

WordNet

Gut"ta-per`cha noun
Etymology
Malay gutah gum + pertja the tree from which is it procured.
Definitions
  1. A concrete juice produced by various trees found in the Malayan archipelago, especially by the Isonandra, ∨ Dichopsis, Gutta. It becomes soft, and unpressible at the tamperature of boiling water, and, on cooling, retains its new shape. It dissolves in oils and ethers, but not in water. In many of its properties it resembles caoutchouc, and it is extensively used for many economical purposes. The Mimusops globosa of Guiana also yields this material.

Webster 1913