Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Gutta-percha
Gut′ta-perˊcha
,Noun.
[Malay
gutah
gum + pertja
the tree from which is it procured.] A concrete juice produced by various trees found in the Malayan archipelago, especially by the
Isonandra Gutta
, syn. Dichopsis Gutta
. It becomes soft, and unpressible at the tamperature of boiling water, and, on cooling, retains its new shape. It dissolves in oils and ethers, but not in water. In many of its properties it resembles caoutchouc, and it is extensively used for many economical purposes. The Mimusops globosa
of Guiana also yields this material.