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barbasco

[ bahr-bas-koh, -bah-skoh ]
/ bɑrˈbæs koʊ, -ˈbɑ skoʊ /
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noun, plural bar·bas·cos.
a shrub or small tree, Jacquinia barbasco, of tropical America, the source of a substance used to stun fish so they can be caught easily.
any similar plant yielding a substance that stuns or kills fish.
the fish-stunning or fish-killing substance obtained from these plants.
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Origin of barbasco

First recorded in 1855–60; from Latin American Spanish, said to be alteration of verbasco “mullein,” from Latin verbascum
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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