sasswood

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsaswʊd/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsæswʊd/
• Hyphenation: sass‧wood

Noun

sasswood (usually uncountable, plural sasswoods)

1. Alternative form of sassywood.
   • 1839 June, R. McD., “Specimen of African Criminal Jurisprudence”, in The African Repository and Colonial Journal, volume XV, number 11, Washington, D.C.: Published by James C. Dunn [by order of the managers of the American Colonization Society], →OCLC, page 181:

     This man, being informed of his sentence, pleaded innocence, and said he himself would drink Sasswood water to prove it. His friends urged him to confess, as his brother, the king, said he had no ill will against him, and did not wish him to drink the Sasswood, unless it was his own pleasure to do so. He still, however, persisted in his wish to make the trial. Four pieces of the Sasswood tree, each about the size of a finger nail, were then prepared for him; […]

   • 2000, James E. Christie, Juju, Lincoln, Neb.: Writers Club Press, iUniverse, →ISBN, part III (War), page 423:

     […] He wondered what sasswood was—Delah had sworn by sasswood that she was telling the truth when the coaxed those in the shadow village out of hiding. Delah explained that many years ago, before the Americos starting intefering in tribal business, trial by sasswood was a way of determining whether a person accused of a crime was innocent or guilty. The bark of a particular tree was mashed to make a "truth serum." If the accused died after drinking the concoction, he was guilty. Refusal to drink was also an indication of guilt, in which case the accused was executed.