Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sassafras

/ˈsasəfɹas/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.32 in modern English

Syllables
sas-safras
IPA
/ˈsasəfɹas/
12
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A tree of species Sassafras albidum of the eastern United States and Asia having mitten-shaped leaves and red, aromatic heartwood.

Countable

noun

A tree of any species in the genus Sassafras.

Countable

noun

The bark of the root of this plant, used for medicinal and (mostly historically) culinary purposes and formerly a main ingredient in root beer.

Uncountable

noun

Any of various trees of the family Atherospermataceae, having aromatic bark.

Australian usage; Countable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Spanish sasafrás, possibly from Latin saxifragus (“stone-breaking”) from the habit of certain plants growing in cracks in boulders. If this etymology is correct, it is a doublet of saxifrage.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: sasafrás, saxifragus

Regional Pronunciation

  • British English: /ˈsasəfɹas/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Phrases

Australian sassafras blackheart sassafras black sassafras Brazilian sassafras Chilean sassafras Chinese sassafras grey sassafras New Zealand sassafras

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

red sassafras silky sassafras white sassafras cinnamonwood sassafras tree sassafras albidum

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce sassafras?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsasəfɹas/.
What does sassafras mean?
A tree of species Sassafras albidum of the eastern United States and Asia having mitten-shaped leaves and red, aromatic heartwood.
Where does sassafras come from?
It is traced to Spanish.

How to pronounce sassafras

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “sassafras”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈsasəfɹas/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “sassafras”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “sassafras” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.