cowage

American  

[kou-ij] / ˈkaʊ ɪdʒ /

Or cowhage,

noun

1. a tropical vine, Mucuna pruriens, of the legume family, bearing reddish or blackish pods.

2. the pod itself, covered with bristlelike hairs that are irritating to the skin and cause intense itching.

3. the hairs of the cowage mixed with a liquid vehicle and used to expel intestinal worms.

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cowage British  

/ ˈkaʊɪdʒ /

noun

1. a tropical climbing leguminous plant, Stizolobium (or Mucuna ) pruriens, whose bristly pods cause severe itching and stinging

2. the pods of this plant or the stinging hairs covering them

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Etymology

Origin of cowage

First recorded in 1630–40; from Hindi kãũch, kēvā̃c (compare kavac “husk, pod”), reshaped in English by folk etymology