1. A nutritive starch obtained from the root of the arrowroot plant.
2. White-flowered West Indian plant whose root yields arrowroot starch; SYN. American arrowroot, obedience plant, Maranta arundinaceae.
Starchy substance derived from the roots and tubers of various tropical plants with thick, clumpy roots. The true arrowroot Maranta arundinacea was used by the Indians of South America as an antidote against the effects of poisoned arrows.
The West Indian island of St Vincent is the main source of supply today. The edible starch is easily digested and is good for invalids. arrow root