cowage

or cow·hage, cow·itch

[ kou-ij ]

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.

cowage

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of cowage¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of cowage¹

C17: from Hindi kavāch, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

Its houses roofless, their walls crumbled, are scarcely seen beneath the thick green carpet of convolvulus, and cowage (mecuna).

From Project Gutenberg