sumach

English

Noun

sumach (countable and uncountable, plural sumachs or sumaches)

1. Alternative spelling of sumac
   • 1693 January, Leonardi Plukenetii [i.e., Leonard Plukenet], “PHYTOGRAPHIA seu Plantæ quamplurimæ novæ & Literis huc usque incognitæ variis & remotissimis Provinciis ipsisq; Indiis allatæ Nomine & Iconibus. ”, in Philosophical Transactions. Giving Some Account of the Present Undertakings, Studies, and Labours, of the Ingenious, in Many Considerable Parts of the World, volume VI, number 196, London: Printed for T. Woodward, and C. Davis printers to the Royal Society, →OCLC, page 621:

     The Rhamnus of Maderaspatan, and the Trifoliate Sumachs from the Coaſt of Africa, are altogether new.

   • 1733, Philip Miller, “RHUS”, in The Gardeners Dictionary: , 2nd edition, volume I, London: C Rivington, , →OCLC, column 2:

     RHUS, […] The Sumach Tree. […] The Species are; 1. Rhus; Virginianum. C.B.P. Virginian Sumach, by ſome falſely called The Stag's-horn-tree.

   • 1757, Philip Miller, “June”, in The Gardeners Kalendar; Directing what Works are Necessary to be Done Every Month in the Kitchen, Fruit, and Pleasure-gardens, as also the Conservatory and Nursery. , 11th edition, London: Printed by Charles Rivington, for John Rivington, ; and James Rivington and James Fletcher, , →OCLC, page 185:

     Plant cutings of Myrtles in a bed of light rich earth, obſerving to water and ſhade them until they have taken root; and now you may plant cutings of […] African Sumaches, and many other exotic plants, which are ſhrubby; […]

   • 1854 August 9, Henry D[avid] Thoreau, “Sounds”, in Walden; or, Life in the Woods, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, page 139:

     A young forest growing up under your windows, and wild sumachs and blackberry vines breaking through into your cellar; sturdy pitch-pines rubbing and creaking against the shingles for want of room, their roots reaching quite under the house.

   • 1876, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter XXIX, in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Hartford, Conn.: The American Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 222:

     They plunged into the narrow path between the tall sumach bushes, and were at once hidden in the gloom.

Verb

sumach (third-person singular simple present sumaches, present participle sumaching, simple past and past participle sumached)

1. Obsolete spelling of sumac
   • 1792, , “Of Cleansing Goods, Previous to Maddering, or Boiling Off”, in A Treatise on Calico Printing, Theoretical and Practical: , volume I, : Printed for C. O’Brien, and sold by Bew, , Richardson, , Murray, , →OCLC:

     After this operation, the goods muſt be winched and well planked, or otherwiſe cleaned; they are then, according to the quality of them, to be ſumached, and then ſnitchelled off, and waſhed.

   • 1853, David Smith, “Cotton-dyeing. ”, in The Dyer’s Instructor: Comprising Practical Instructions in the Art of Dyeing Silk, Cotton, Wool, and Worsted and Woollen Goods, , Philadelphia, Pa.: Henry Carey Baird, , →OCLC, page 70:

     A great variety of Blue Drabs can be dyed by first Sumaching the cotton, and then in another tub add a little Nitrate of Iron or Copperas liquor, and give a few turns.

   • 1877, “Calico Printing and Dyeing”, in Charles O’Neill, editor, The Textile Colourist: A Monthly Journal of Bleaching, Printing, Dyeing, and Finishing Textile Fabrics, and the Manufacture and Application of Colouring Matters, volume IV, Manchester: Palmer and Howe, ; London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. , page 253:

     Common black calico for linings is dyed upon an iron mordant alone, but generally a better colour is obtained by first sumaching the cotton according to the older method.

Anagrams

• Muchas, Schaum, as much, cumsha, cushma, much as, shumac

Irish

Etymology 1

From Medieval Latin sumach, from Arabic سُمَّاق (summāq), from Classical Syriac ܣܘܡܩܐ (summāqāʾ, “red; sumac”).

Noun

sumach m (genitive singular sumaigh)

1. sumac(h)

Declension

Etymology 2

Noun

sumach m (genitive singular sumaigh, nominative plural sumaigh)

1. Alternative form of somach (“plump youngster”)

Declension

Mutation

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “sumach”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Entries containing “sumach” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsu.max/
• Rhymes: -umax
• Syllabification: su‧mach

Noun

sumach m

1. locative plural of sum

Noun

sumach f

1. locative plural of suma