Bejuco

/bɪˈhuːkoʊ/ noun

Definition

a tropical vine or climbing plant, especially one used for binding or making ropes in Spanish-speaking regions.

Etymology

From Spanish bejuco, from Taíno (Caribbean indigenous language) origin. The word traveled from the Caribbean to Spanish colonial territories and entered English during the age of exploration.

Kelly Says

Bejuco is genuinely obscure—it's one of those words English borrowed from Caribbean indigenous languages through Spanish colonialism. Most English speakers have never heard it, yet it appears in specialist texts about tropical plants and colonial history.

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