Dictionary
rhat•a•ny
Pronunciation: (rat'n-ē), [key]—
n.,
—pl. -nies.
1. either of two South American shrubs belonging to the genus
Krameria, of the legume family,
K. tiandra (knotty rhatany or
Peruvian rhatany) or
K. argentea (Brazilian rhatany or Pará rhatany).
2. the root of either of these plants, used as an astringent and tonic in medicine and also to color port wine.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.