rhubarb
5 dictionary results for: rhubarb
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
rhu·barb 
[roo-bahrb] Pronunciation Key
[roo-bahrb] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | any of several plants belonging to the genus Rheum, of the buckwheat family, as R. officinale, having a medicinal rhizome, and R. rhabarbarum, having edible leafstalks. |
| 2. | the rhizome of any medicinal species of this plant, forming a combined cathartic and astringent. |
| 3. | the edible, fleshy leafstalks of R. rhabarbarum, used in making pies, preserves, etc. |
| 4. | Slang. a quarrel or squabble. |
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME rubarb, reubarb < OF r(e)ubarbe < ML reubarbarum < Gk rhéon bárbaron foreign rhubarb]
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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| rhu·barb
(rōō'bärb') Pronunciation Key
n.
[Middle English rubarbe, from Old French, from Late Latin reubarbarum, probably alteration (influenced by Greek rhēon) of rhabarbarum : rha, rhubarb (from Greek rhā, perhaps from Rhā, the Volga River) + Latin barbarum, neuter of barbarus, barbarian, foreign; see barbarous.] |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
rhubarb
rhubarb
c.1390, from O.Fr. rubarbe, from M.L. rheubarbarum, from Gk. rha barbaron "foreign rhubarb," from rha "rhubarb" (associated with Rha, ancient Scythian name of the River Volga) + barbaron, neut. of barbaros "foreign." Grown in China ans Tibet, it was imported into ancient Europe by way of Russia. Spelling altered in M.L. by association with rheum. European native species so called from 1650. Baseball slang meaning "loud squabble on the field" is from 1938, of unknown origin, said to have been first used by broadcaster Garry Schumacher. Perhaps connected with use of rhubarb as a word repeated by stage actors to give the impression of hubbub or conversation (attested from 1934).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| rhubarb | |
noun | |
| 1. | long pinkish sour leafstalks usually eaten cooked and sweetened [syn: pieplant] |
| 2. | plants having long green or reddish acidic leafstalks growing in basal clumps; stems (and only the stems) are edible when cooked; leaves are poisonous |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Rhubarb
Rhu"barb\, n. [F. rhubarbe, OF. rubarbe, rheubarbe, reubarbare, reobarbe, LL. rheubarbarum for rheum barbarum, Gr. ??? (and ??) rhubarb, from the river Rha (the Volga) on whose banks it grew. Originally, therefore, it was the barbarian plant from the Rha. Cf. Barbarous, Rhaponticine.]1. (Bot.) The name of several large perennial herbs of the genus Rheum and order Polygonace[ae]. 2. The large and fleshy leafstalks of Rheum Rhaponticum and other species of the same genus. They are pleasantly acid, and are used in cookery. Called also pieplant. 3. (Med.) The root of several species of Rheum, used much as a cathartic medicine. Monk's rhubarb. (Bot.) See under Monk. Turkey rhubarb (Med.), the roots of Rheum Emodi.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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