pituri
Americannoun
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a solanaceous shrub or small tree, Duboisia hopwoodi, of Australia.
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a stimulant made from the dried leaves and twigs of this plant, used by Aboriginal peoples as a narcotic.
noun
Etymology
Origin of pituri
First recorded in 1860–65, pituri is from the Wiradjuri word pi-ju-rī
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
During this excursion Kennedy noticed that the blacks were given to "chewing tobacco in a green state;" but the "tobacco" was, of course, the pituri plant, which they are accustomed to masticate.
From The Explorers of Australia and their Life-work by Favenc, Ernest
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.