Emily Dickinson Lexicon

TUR'MER-IC, n. [It. turtumaglio. Thomson says, Sans. and Pers. zur, yellow, and mirich, pepper.]

A medicinal root brought from the East Indies, the Curcuma longa. It is externally grayish, but internally of a deep lively yellow or saffron color. It has a slight aromatic smell, and a bitterish, slightly acrid taste. It is used for dyeing, and as a medicine. This name is sometimes given to the blood-root (Sanguinaria Canadensis) of America, and also to the Hydrastis Canadensis. Cyc. Bigelow.