puccoon

American  

[puh-koon] / pəˈkun /

noun

1. any of certain plants that yield a red dye, as the bloodroot and certain plants belonging to the genus Lithospermum, of the borage family.

2. the dye itself.

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puccoon British  

/ pəˈkuːn /

noun

1. Also called: alkanet.  any of several North American boraginaceous plants of the genus Lithospermum, esp L. canescens, that yield a red dye See also gromwell

2. any of several other plants that yield a reddish dye, esp the bloodroot ( red puccoon )

3. the dye from any of these plants

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Etymology

Origin of puccoon

First recorded in 1605–15, from Virginia Algonquian ( English spelling) poughkone the herb Lithospermum vulgare and the red dye made from its root (cognate with Unami Delaware pé˙kɔ˙n “bloodroot”)

Example Sentences

The red puccoon dye protects my back, chest, arms, and legs from insects and the burning of the sun, and my moccasins protect my feet for running.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

In late April when the mosquitoes, flies, and gnats come out, Kainta shows me how a layer of bear grease mixed with a powder of red puccoon root keeps the bugs away.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

At their suggestion his sign was painted with puccoon root stain upon the sides of the wagon covers.

From Voices; Birth-Marks; The Man and the Elephant by Holt, Mathew Joseph

They stained the head and shoulder red with the juice of the puccoon.

From History of the Colony and Ancient Dominion of Virginia by Campbell, Charles

To-day Mrs. Bassett rejoiced in the discovery of the season's first puccoon, showing its orange-yellow cluster on a sandy slope.

From A Hoosier Chronicle by Yohn, F. C. (Frederick Coffay)