An alternative spelling of gambir; a tannin extract from a plant used in leather tanning and dyeing.
From Malay gambir, referring to the astringent extract obtained from Uncaria gambir vine. Entered English through trade in Southeast Asia during colonial times.
Gambeer is one of those words that shows how specialized trades preserved old spellings—tanneries kept using the original Malay form long after general English spelling shifted!
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