Bute

/bjuːt/ noun

Definition

A plant of the legume family; also a trademark for phenylbutazone, a painkilling drug used in animals.

Etymology

From Spanish or Portuguese, derived from indigenous South American languages. The drug meaning comes from 'phenylbutazone,' a synthetic compound created in the 20th century.

Kelly Says

Bute is an interesting case where a common name for a tropical plant got repurposed as a shortened trademark for a veterinary painkiller. It's the same chemical compound as humans sometimes use.

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