Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
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noun
A pokeberry or pokeweed plant (Phytolacca americana) or its dark red or purple fruit.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Perhaps a half-translation of an Algonquian term for "red berry" (compare Abenaki mkw-, mskw- (“red”)), in reference to the berries' red colour. Alternatively, perhaps a half-translation of an Algonquian term such as Penobscot *skokimin (“snake berry”), in reference to the fact that the plant is poisonous. Compare scoke.
