konjac
konjac Lexical Profile
• noun
A firm, gelatinous cake, jelly, or noodle product made from the flour of this corm, widely used in Japanese and East Asian cuisine as a low-calorie ingredient.
"She added sliced konjac and daikon radish to the simmering pot of oden."
The large, starchy, edible underground corm of a perennial East Asian plant (Amorphophallus konjac), rich in glucomannan fiber and cultivated as a root vegetable.
"The farmers harvested the heavy konjac corms in late autumn to be ground into flour."
A perennial herb of the arum family (Araceae) native to warm subtropical to tropical eastern Asia, characterized by a single large compound leaf and a tall, dark-reddish spathe.
"In spring, the mature konjac produces a striking, foul-smelling inflorescence that attracts carrion beetles for pollination."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 19th century from Japanese konnyaku, which in turn derives from Middle Chinese pronunciations of the characters for this plant.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.