A North American plant (Rumex hymenosepalus) with tannin-rich roots used in leather tanning and dye production.
From Spanish canaigre, from Nahuatl (Aztec language) origin, possibly meaning 'sour plant.' The word entered English from the American Southwest in the 19th century as the plant's value for tanning became known.
Canaigre is a perfect example of how English steals words from indigenous languages—we got it from Nahuatl via Spanish because Indigenous peoples had already figured out this plant was perfect for tanning leather, and we just adopted both the plant and the name when American settlers moved west.
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