A resinous substance or balsam obtained from certain trees, used in varnishes and medicinal preparations.
From Arabic 'al-mastika' (the resin), derived from Greek 'mastiche' (mastic gum). The word entered European languages through medieval trade in Eastern Mediterranean resins and perfumes.
Mastic resin has been chewed and used medicinally for thousands of years—even Hippocrates described it—and it became so valuable that Greek islands fought over who controlled the mastic-producing trees!
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