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puccoon

[ puh-koon ]
/ pəˈkun /
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noun
any of certain plants that yield a red dye, as the bloodroot and certain plants belonging to the genus Lithospermum, of the borage family.
the dye itself.
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Origin of puccoon

First recorded in 1605–15, Americanism; 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”)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for puccoon

puccoon
/ (pəˈkuːn) /

noun
Also called: alkanet any of several North American boraginaceous plants of the genus Lithospermum, esp L. canescens, that yield a red dyeSee also gromwell
any of several other plants that yield a reddish dye, esp the bloodroot (red puccoon)
the dye from any of these plants

Word Origin for puccoon

C17: of Algonquian origin; see pokeweed
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
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