cubeb
[kyoo-beb]
- the spicy fruit or drupe of an East Indian climbing shrub, Piper cubeba, of the pepper family.
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Origin of cubeb
1250–1300; < Medieval Latin cubēba < Arabic kubābah (classical Arabic kabābah); replacing Middle English cucube, quibibe < Anglo-French, Middle French < Medieval Latin, as above
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for cubeb
Historical Examples of cubeb
There was a strange medicinal odor—as of cubeb cigarettes—in the air.
The Damnation of Theron WareHarold Frederic
The cubeb is cultivated in Java and Sumatra, the fruits are gathered before they are ripe, and carefully dried.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century cubeb disappeared almost entirely from medical practice.
In the thirteenth century cubeb is mentioned among the import articles of London.
cubeb
- a SE Asian treelike piperaceous woody climbing plant, Piper cubeba, with brownish berries
- the unripe spicy fruit of this plant, dried and used as a stimulant and diuretic and sometimes smoked in cigarettes
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Word Origin for cubeb
C14: from Old French cubebe, from Medieval Latin cubēba, from Arabic kubābah
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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