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

“Almost inevitably, like kudzu in the summer, slavery started spreading in Georgia.”

From Seattle Times • Feb. 16, 2024

I was drawn to one in particular, a crumbling two-story structure collapsing under the kudzu.

From Salon • Mar. 12, 2023

“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

But “Real World” took it to another level, spawning a genre that spread like kudzu over TV programming in the ensuing decades.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2022

He started clearing space amongst the rocks and kudzu vines.

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi