Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Gutta-percha \Gut"ta-per`cha\, n. [Malay gutah gum + pertja the
   tree from which is it procured.]
   A concrete juice produced by various trees found in the
   Malayan archipelago, especially by the {Isonandra, or
   Dichopsis, Gutta}. It becomes soft, and unpressible at the
   tamperature of boiling water, and, on cooling, retains its
   new shape. It dissolves in oils and ethers, but not in water.
   In many of its properties it resembles caoutchouc, and it is
   extensively used for many economical purposes. The {Mimusops
   globosa} of Guiana also yields this material.