gutta-percha

UK: /ˈɡʌtəˈpɜːtʃə/ US: (gut′ə pûr′chə)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

gut•ta-per•cha  (gut′ə pûr′chə), 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.

• Malay gətah (spelling, spelled getah) tree sap + perca rag, strip of cloth; perh. so called from the appearance of the sap (Malay getah taban) in its marketed form
• 1835–45

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

gutta-percha / ˈɡʌtəˈpɜːtʃə/ noun

1. any of several tropical trees of the sapotaceous genera Palaquium and Payena, esp Palaquium gutta
2. a whitish rubber substance derived from the coagulated milky latex of any of these trees: used in electrical insulation and dentistry

Etymology: 19th Century: from Malay getah gum + percha name of a tree that produces it