noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The root of Carapichea ipecacuanha, used as an emetic or purgative; a preparation of this root used as a drug; ipecac. countable, uncountable

   "This ipecacuanha is a most disagreeable medicine!"

2. 2
   The flowering plant Carapichea ipecacuanha. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms

syrup of ipecac

Example

More examples

"This ipecacuanha is a most disagreeable medicine!"

Etymology

From Brazilian Portuguese ipecacuanha, from Old Tupi ypekakûãîa, from ypeka (“duck”) + akûãîa (“penis”).

Related phrases

wild ipecacuanhaflowering plant

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.