1. natural rubber obtained from the latex of rubber trees
Usage: technical; dated

Examples

• The indigenous people collected caoutchouc from rubber trees in the Amazon.
• Early European explorers were fascinated by the waterproof properties of caoutchouc.
• Before synthetic rubber, caoutchouc was the primary source of elastic material.
• The word caoutchouc comes from a Native American term meaning ‘weeping tree’.
• Scientists studied the molecular structure of caoutchouc to develop synthetic alternatives.