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rhat·a·ny also rat·a·ny  (rătn-ē)
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Tweet n. pl. rhat·a·nies also rat·a·nies 1. Any of several hemiparasitic herbs or shrubs of the genus Krameria of the Americas, having bilaterally symmetrical pink or purplish flowers and spiny fruit. 2. The dried root of any of these plants, formerly used as an astringent, in various dental preparations, and as the source of a dye. [From New Latin rhatania, from American Spanish ratania, of Quechua origin.] |
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