Dictionary.com

pokeweed

[ pohk-weed ]
/ ˈpoʊkˌwid /

noun

any of numerous and usually toxic plants of the genus Phytolacca, including P. americana, of North America, having juicy purple berries and a purple root used in folk medicine, and young shoots resembling asparagus: pokeweed species vary greatly in height, with some growing to about 3.2 feet (1 meter) and others as tall as 82 feet (25 meters).

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Also called poke, poke·root [pohk-root, -root], /ˈpoʊkˌrut, -ˌrʊt/, scoke, garget.

Origin of pokeweed

An Americanism dating back to 1745–55; poke4 + weed1

Words nearby pokeweed

poker face, poker-faced, poker machine, poker spine, pokerwork, pokeweed, pokey, pokie, poky, pol, Pola
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for pokeweed

British Dictionary definitions for pokeweed

pokeweed

pokeberry or pokeroot

/ (ˈpəʊkˌwiːd) /

noun

a tall North American plant, Phytolacca americana, that has small white flowers, juicy purple berries, and a poisonous purple root used medicinally: family PhytolaccaceaeSometimes shortened to: poke Also called: inkberry

Word Origin for pokeweed

C18 poke, shortened from Algonquian puccoon plant used in dyeing, from pak blood
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012