Wiktionary

pokeweed

English edit

 

Etymology edit

poke +‎ weed. The first element is from Powhatan pocan.[1][2]

Noun edit

pokeweed (countable and uncountable, plural pokeweeds)

  1. A poisonous North American plant, Phytolacca americana, with reddish stems, broad leaves, clusters of white flowers, and dark purple berries.
    • 2009, Herbert C. Covey, Dwight Eisnach, What the Slaves Ate, ABC-CLIO, →ISBN, page 87:
      Native Americans introduced whites and slaves to several edible greens including marigold, milkweed, and pokeweed (Whit 2007). Slaves boiled pokeweed and often mixed it with turnip greens because it was thought that the two vegetables enhanced each other's flavor.

Synonyms edit

Related terms edit

Translations edit

References edit

  1. ^ Charles L. Cutler, O Brave New Words!: Native American Loanwords in Current English →ISBN, 2000)
  2. ^ Oxford Dictionary of English →ISBN

Further reading edit

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