Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Arrowroot
Ar′row-rootˊ
,Noun.
1.
(Bot.)
A white-flowered west Indian plant of the genus
Maranta
, esp. Maranta arundinacea
, now cultivated in many hot countries. Its root yields arrowroot starch
. It said that the Indians used the roots to neutralize the venom in wounds made by poisoned arrows.
Syn. – arrowroot, American arrowroot, obedience plant.
2.
A nutritive starch obtained from the rootstocks of
Maranta arundinacea
, and used as food, esp. for children an invalids; also, a similar starch obtained from other plants, as various species of Maranta
and Curcuma
.