physic nut
- an ornamental, tropical American tree, Jatropha curcas, of the spurge family, having ivylike leaves, small, yellow or greenish-yellow flowers, and olive-shaped fruit yielding a purgative, poisonous oil.
- the fruit itself.
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Origin of physic nut
First recorded in 1775–85
Also called Barbados nut, purging nut.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for barbados nut
Historical Examples
Of considerable importance is the physic-nut (Jatropha curcas), which is exported.