cas·sia / ˈkashə/ • n. 1. a tree, shrub, or herbaceous plant (genus Cassia) of the pea family, native to warm climates and yielding a variety of products, including medicinal drugs. 2. (also cassia bark) the aromatic bark of an eastern Asian tree (Cinnamomum aromaticum) of the laurel family, yielding an inferior kind of cinnamon.

Cassia (family Leguminosae, subfamily Caesalpinoideae) A genus of small to medium-sized trees in which the leaves are pinnate. The flowers are slightly zygomorphic and showy. Several species are widely grown as ornamentals. The purgative senna is prepared from the leaves. There are 535 species, occurring in tropical to warm temperate regions.

cassia kind of cinnamon. OE. and ME., but not naturalized till XVI. — L. cas(s)ia — Gr. kasíā — Heb. ḳ^eṣīʾh bark resembling cinnamon, f. ḳāṣāʾ strip off.

cassia The inner bark of a tree grown in the Far East (Cinnamomium cassia), used as a flavouring, similar to cinnamon.