cubeb
/ˈkjuːbɛb/ noun
Forms cubebs
- noun A tailed pepper plant (Piper cubeba), an Indonesian plant cultivated for its berries and essential oil.
- noun One of the berries of this plant, used as a condiment.
Synonyms
tailed pepper Java pepper cubeb vine Piper cubeba cubeb cigarette
Etymology
From Middle English quibibe, from Old French quibibe, cubebe, from Arabic كُبَابَة (kubāba). The current form is remodelled after modern French cubèbe.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The small, spicy berry of a species of pepper (Piper Cubeba; in med., Cubeba officinalis), native in Java and Borneo, but now cultivated in various tropical countries. The dried unripe fruit is much used in medicine as a stimulant and purgative.
Etymology [F. cub (cf. It. cubebe, Pr., Sp., Pg., & NL. cubeba), fr. Ar. kab.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “cubeb”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details