Definition of "mastic" in English

noun

1. An evergreen shrub or small tree, Pistacia lentiscus (mastic tree), native to the Mediterranean.

2. A hard, brittle, aromatic and transparent resin produced by this tree and used to make varnishes and chewing gum, and as a flavouring.

   • 1834, James Augustus St. John, Egypt and Mohammed Ali, or Travels in the Valley of the Nile, London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green & Longman, Volume I, Chapter 132, pp. 322-323, […] in many harems, the women are in the habit of burning mastic on a small chaffing-dish, and holding the mouth of the jars over the smoke; by which means they communicate to them a scent which perfumes the water for eight or ten days, at the expiration of which the operation must be repeated.

3. An alcoholic liquor flavoured with this resin.

4. (especially Commonwealth English) Any of various cements, usually flexible and waterproof, used as an adhesive, sealant, caulk, or filler.