Origin: 1875–80, Americanism; < Sp cáscara bark, perh. akin to cascar to crack ≪ VL *quassicāre, equiv. to L quass(āre) to shatter (see quash) + -icā- formative v. suffix + -re inf. ending
Main Entry: cascara buckthorn Function: noun : a buckthorn of the genus Rhamnus (R. purshiana) of the Pacific coast of the U.S. yielding cascara sagradacalled also cascara,coffeeberry