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.

Nearby words

buchenwald, buchman, buchmanism, buchner, buchner funnel, buchu, buck, buck and wing, buck bean, buck fever, buck for

Origin of buchu

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for buchu

A bitter extractive matter, obtained by Brande from buchu leaves.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
Therefore, my baasjes, Outa cooks bossies from the veld to rub on—buchu and kookamakranka and karroo bossies.
Outa Karel's Stories|Sanni Metelerkamp
It should be given in conjunction with the infusions of uva ursi, Pareira brava, or buchu.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II|Arnold Cooley
Columbian spirits, caramel, cinnamon and cardamom, and a touch of the buchu.
The Clarion|Samuel Hopkins Adams

I certainly obtained better results with buchu and bearberry (Arctostaphylos).
Parasites|T. Spencer Cobbold

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