mastic

Noun

1. An evergreen shrub or small tree, Pistacia lentiscus (mastic tree), native to the Mediterranean.
   • The island of Scio is now called by the Greeks Kio [Χιο], the antient Greek name of it was Chios [Χιος]; it was first called Ætalia in very antient times, and also Mastic, on account of the great number of mastic trees...

   Synonyms: lentiscus lentisk

2. A hard, brittle, aromatic and transparent resin produced by this tree and used to make varnishes and chewing gum, and as a flavouring.
   • The mastic, of which the people of Scio gather every year an incredible quantity, is a very rich gum, made use of in medicines, which distils from a shrub called, in Latin, Lentiscus. - 1799, John Montagu, 4th Earl of...
   • Having taken upon me to order the repast, and knowing that Lord Byron, for the last two days, had done nothing towards sustenance, beyond eating a few biscuits and (to appease appetite) chewing mastic, I desired that we...
   • 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...

   Synonyms: tears of Chios

3. An alcoholic liquor flavoured with this resin.
   • He took a list from the desk and read aloud Fatima’s offerings:— […] four bottles of rare mastic from Scio. - 1913, Marjorie Bowen, A Knight of Spain, Part II, Chapter 6:
4. Any of various cements, usually flexible and waterproof, used as an adhesive, sealant, caulk, or filler.
   • ‘They have a few holes here and there. A few. Tiny tiny.’ ‘We could fix those up easy. Mastic cement. Not expensive, boss.’ - 1961, V. S. Naipaul, A House for Mr Biswas, Vintage International, published 2001, Part One,...