kudzu

British  

/ ˈkʊdzuː /

noun

1. a hairy leguminous climbing plant, Pueraria thunbergiana, of China and Japan, with trifoliate leaves and purple fragrant flowers

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Etymology

Origin of kudzu

from Japanese kuzu

Explanation

Kudzu is a fast-growing vine that has a tendency to crowd out other plants and take over. It's really hard to get rid of kudzu once it's established itself in your yard — better call in a professional gardener. Kudzu is native to various parts of Asia, where it's used to protect soil from erosion and harvested for animal and human food, medicine, and basket making. In the 1930s, U.S. farmers began using kudzu to stop erosion, but it spread so rapidly and intensively that it was quickly labeled an invasive weed. Ever since, kudzu has appeared along highways and roads, and crept into yards and gardens throughout North America.

Example Sentences

“I’m so used to this kudzu sprawl of figurative language,” she said, “and simple can feel like ‘see spot run,’ but there are simple words like prime integers that carry so much meaning when sung.”

From New York Times • Feb. 3, 2023

This has helped the industry grow like kudzu throughout the state, which is home to three of the nation's top title lenders.

From Salon • Nov. 15, 2022

The song uses familiar images, including magnolia trees, fried catfish, hurricanes and kudzu.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 15, 2022

The brilliant-but-troubled detective/cop-with-something-extra procedural has crept over the TV listings like so much kudzu, or, to be more local, bougainvillea — lovely to look at in many places but increasingly familiar in form and hue.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2022

He saw a covering of brown kudzu over three winter-dead trees, twisting them into strange, almost human shapes: they could have been witches, three bent old crones ready to reveal his fortune.

From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman