as·a·fet·i·da also as·a·foet·i·da (?s??-f?t??-d?)n.1. Any of several plants of the genus Ferula in the parsley family, native to dry regions in Iran and Afghanistan and having long, sturdy, hollow stems and roots yielding a brownish, strong-smelling resin.2. The resin obtained from these plants, especially from the species Ferula assa-foetida, used as an ingredient in medicine and remedies and as a seasoning in South Asian cuisine.[Middle English, from Medieval Latin asaf?tida : asa, gum (from Persian az?, mastic) + Latin foetida, feminine of foetidus, stinking; see fetid.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.asafoetida (?æs??f?t?d?) or asafetidan (Pharmacology) a bitter resin with an unpleasant onion-like smell, obtained from the roots of some umbelliferous plants of the genus Ferula: formerly used as a carminative, antispasmodic, and expectorant[C14: from Medieval Latin, from asa gum (compare Persian az? mastic) + Latin foetidus evil-smelling, fetid]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014