cowage
or cow·hage, cow·itch
[ kou-ij ]
/ ˈkaʊ ɪdʒ /
noun
a tropical vine, Mucuna pruriens, of the legume family, bearing reddish or blackish pods.
the pod itself, covered with bristlelike hairs that are irritating to the skin and cause intense itching.
the hairs of the cowage mixed with a liquid vehicle and used to expel intestinal worms.
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Origin of cowage
First recorded in 1630–40; from Hindi kãũch, kēvā̃c (compare kavac “husk, pod”), reshaped in English by folk etymology
Words nearby cowage
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for cowage
Its houses roofless, their walls crumbled, are scarcely seen beneath the thick green carpet of convolvulus, and cowage (mecuna).
British Dictionary definitions for cowage
cowage
cowhage
/ (ˈkaʊɪdʒ) /
noun
a tropical climbing leguminous plant, Stizolobium (or Mucuna) pruriens, whose bristly pods cause severe itching and stinging
the pods of this plant or the stinging hairs covering them
Word Origin for cowage
C17: from Hindi kavāch, of obscure origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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