pokeweed

[pohk-weed]

noun

a tall herb, Phytolacca americana, of North America, having juicy purple berries and a purple root used in medicine, and young edible shoots resembling asparagus.

Origin of pokeweed

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

Also called poke·root

[pohk-root, -roo t] /ˈpoʊkˌrut, -ˌrʊt/, scoke, garget.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for pokeweed

Historical Examples of pokeweed

Is there anywhere a more audacious beauty than the pokeweed in autumn?
In the Open
Stanton Davis Kirkham
Pokeweed is a native American, and what a lusty, royal plant it is!
A Year in the Fields
John Burroughs
Rivina, ri-vī′na, n. a genus of apetalous plants, the pokeweed family.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)
Various
A few tufts of elder, with here and there a patch of briers and pokeweed, flourished in the gravelly soil.
Peter Parley's Own Story
Samuel G. Goodrich
The pokeweed berries will color a good red,” continued Mrs. Scott; “but for scarlet we must use the dogwood roots.
A Little Maid of Ticonderoga
Alice Turner Curtis

British Dictionary definitions for pokeweed

pokeweed

pokeberry or pokeroot

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