Editing Gutta-percha (section)

{{Short description|Palaquium trees, and latex made from sap}}
{{More citations needed |date=November 2016}}
[[File:Palaquium gutta - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-099.jpg|thumb|right|''Palaquium gutta'']]

'''Gutta-percha''' is a tree of the genus ''[[Palaquium]]'' in the family [[Sapotaceae]], which is primarily used to create a high-quality [[latex]] of the same name. The material is rigid, naturally biologically [[Chemically inert|inert]], resilient, electrically [[nonconductor|nonconductive]], and [[thermoplastic]], most commonly sourced from ''[[Palaquium gutta]]''; it is a polymer of [[isoprene]] which forms a rubber-like [[elastomer]].

The word "gutta-percha" comes from the plant's name in [[Malay language|Malay]]: {{lang|ms|getah}} translates as 'sticky gum' and {{lang|ms|pertja}} ({{lang|ms|perca}}) is the name of a less-sought-after gutta tree. The western term therefore is likely a derivative amalgamation of the original native names.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thulaja |first=Naidu, Ratnala |last2=Rahman |first2=Nor-Afidah, A |date=June 2019 |title=Gutta percha |url=https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=5678d5d4-fa7d-4d84-a35e-7d99ea4e26e4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910204055/https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=5678d5d4-fa7d-4d84-a35e-7d99ea4e26e4 |archive-date=2024-09-10 |access-date=2024-09-10 |website=National Library Board, Singapore}}</ref>