jalap

English

Etymology 1

From the city of Xalapa in Mexico.

Alternative forms

• jallap (obsolete)
• jalop

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒæləp/, /ˈd͡ʒɑləp/

Noun

jalap (uncountable)

1. A cathartic drug consisting of the tuberous roots of Ipomoea purga, a convolvulaceous plant found in Mexico.
   • 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 1]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:

     He’s stinking with money and thinks you’re not a gentleman. His old fellow made his tin by selling jalap to Zulus or some bloody swindle or other.

Derived terms

• Tampico jalap (from Ipomoea simulans)
• Vera Cruz jalap (Ipomoea purga)
• false jalap (Mirabilis jalapa)

Translations

a cathartic drug consisting of the tuberous roots of Ipomoea purga, a convolvulaceous plant found in Mexico

• Tagalog: halapa

Etymology 2

Shortening of jalapeño.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hæləp/

Noun

jalap (plural jalaps)

1. (informal) A jalapeño.
   • For quotations using this term, see Citations:jalap.