mescal button

noun

1. one of the dried, buttonlike tops of a mescal of the genus Lophophora, used as a hallucinogen, especially by certain Indians of Mexico and the southwestern U.S. during religious ceremonies; peyote.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mescal button¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

In the United States they are called mescal buttons, and in Mexico peyote.

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Kennedy reached in another of Torreon's pockets and drew out a third little silver box of mescal buttons.

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Mrs. A. B. Nickels reports that the Indians use the plants in manufacturing an intoxicating drink, also for "breaking fevers," and that the tops cut off and dried are called "mescal buttons."

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He opened it, and one mescal button rolled out into the palm of his hand.

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