buchu

[ boo-koo, byoo-kyoo ]
/ ˈbu ku, ˈbyu kyu /

noun

any of several southern African citrus shrubs of the genus Agathosma or the genus Diosma, especially A. betulina, A. crenulata, or D. ericoides, whose leaves yield a dark-colored oil formerly used as a urinary antiseptic and mild diuretic.

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Origin of buchu

1725–35; <Afrikaans (now spelling boegoe) <Khoikhoi, first attested as boggoa (1668)

Words nearby buchu

Buchenwald, Buchman, Buchmanism, Buchner, Buchner funnel, buchu, buck, buck and wing, buckaroo, buck bean, buckboard
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British Dictionary definitions for buchu

buchu
/ (ˈbuːkuː) /

noun

any of several S. African rutaceous shrubs of the genus Barosma, esp B. betulina, whose leaves are used as an antiseptic and diuretic

Word Origin for buchu

C18: from a South African Bantu name
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012