ipecac
/ˈɪp.ɪ.kæk/ noun
Forms ipecacs ipecacuanha
- noun The dried rhizome and roots of either of two tropical American plants (Cephaelis acuminata and Cephaelis ipecacuanha) of the madder family used especially as a source of emetine.
- noun (pharmacology) An emetic and expectorant drug that contains emetine and is prepared from ipecac especially as a syrup for use in treating accidental poisoning.
- noun The shrub that produces ipecac (Cephaelis ipecacuanha), native to Brazil and cultivated elsewhere.
Synonyms
Etymology
Contraction of ipecacuanha, from Portuguese ipecacuanha, from Old Tupi ypekakûãîa, from ypeka (“duck”) + akûãîa (“penis”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun An abbreviation of Ipecacuanha, and in more frequent use.
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “ipecac”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details