phytolacca

P3H4Y4T1O1L1A1C3C3A1

noun

Any of the genus Phytolacca of herbaceous plants; the poke or pokeweed.

OriginNew Latin phytolacca ← Ancient Greek φῠτόν ← Italian lacca →
RareFirst used 18th c.Scrabble 22
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Meanings

nounphytolacca (plural phytolaccas)

plural phytolaccas

  1. biologyAny of the genus Phytolacca of herbaceous plants; the poke or pokeweed.First known use 18th c.

    Phytolacca or Pokeweed is a domestic Plant in Virginia and New York, grows in all their Plantations.

    1801 May, Hester Lynch Piozzi, Thraliana, volume II,1

Origin

  1. Italianlacca“crimson lake”
  2. Ancient Greekφῠτόν“plant”
  3. New Latinphytolacca
  4. Englishphytolacca

From New Latin phytolacca, from Ancient Greek φῠτόν (phŭtón, “plant”) + Italian lacca (“crimson lake”).

More words from New Latin, Ancient Greek, Italian

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Cite this entry
APA

phytolacca. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phytolacca

MLA

“phytolacca.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phytolacca. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “phytolacca,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phytolacca.

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