Natural rubber; the elastic substance obtained from tropical rubber trees, historically one of the first words for this material in English.
From Tupi cahuchu (South American indigenous language), literally meaning 'tree that cries.' French traders brought the word back from Brazil in the 17th century, and it entered English and other European languages.
Caoutchouc is a perfect example of how indigenous knowledge and language spread globally—the Tupi word for rubber became the scientific term used in English textbooks for over 200 years, which is a form of linguistic respect for the people who discovered it.
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