barbasco

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noun

A plant (Lonchocarpus urucu, now Deguelia rufescens var. urucu) native to parts of northern South America used as a poison for fishing and an insecticide.

Similar
joewoodJacquinia keyensis
OriginSpanish barbasco ← Latin verbascum →
Scrabble 14
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Meanings

nounbarbasco (countable and uncountable, plural barbascos)

plural barbascos

  1. countableuncountableA plant (Lonchocarpus urucu, now Deguelia rufescens var. urucu) native to parts of northern South America used as a poison for fishing and an insecticide.
  2. countableuncountableAn evergreen (Jacquinia barbasco, now Jacquinia arborea)
  3. countableuncountableOne of several inedible wild Mexican yams (Dioscorea mexicana and Dioscorea composita) from which progesterone can be synthesized.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounWest Indian shrub or small tree having leathery saponaceous leaves and extremely hard wood

Similar
joewoodJacquinia keyensis
Broader
shrubbush
Also see
joewood

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinverbascum
  2. Spanishverbasco
  3. Spanishbarbasco
  4. Englishbarbasco

From American Spanish barbasco, perhaps alteration of Spanish verbasco, varbasco (“mullein”), from Latin verbascum.

More words from Spanish, Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

barbasco. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/barbasco

MLA

“barbasco.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/barbasco. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “barbasco,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/barbasco.

Source: barbasco on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.