Tobacco

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Tobacco \To*bac"co\, n. [Sp. tabaco, fr. the Indian tabaco the
     tube or pipe in which the Indians or Caribbees smoked this
     plant. Some derive the word from Tabaco, a province of
     Yucatan, where it was said to be first found by the
     Spaniards; others from the island of Tobago, one of the
     Caribbees. But these derivations are very doubtful.]


     1. (Bot.) An American plant ({Nicotiana Tabacum}) of the
        Nightshade family, much used for smoking and chewing, and
        as snuff. As a medicine, it is narcotic, emetic, and
        cathartic. Tobacco has a strong, peculiar smell, and an
        acrid taste.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: The name is extended to other species of the genus, and
           to some unrelated plants, as Indian tobacco ({Nicotiana
           rustica}, and also {Lobelia inflata}), mountain tobacco
           ({Arnica montana}), and Shiraz tobacco ({Nicotiana
           Persica}).
           [1913 Webster]
  
     2. The leaves of the plant prepared for smoking, chewing,
        etc., by being dried, cured, and manufactured in various
        ways.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Tobacco box} (Zool.), the common American skate.
  
     {Tobacco camphor}. (Chem.) See {Nicotianine}.
  
     {Tobacco man}, a tobacconist. [R.]
  
     {Tobacco pipe}.
        (a) A pipe used for smoking, made of baked clay, wood, or
            other material.
        (b) (Bot.) Same as {Indian pipe}, under {Indian}.
  
     {Tobacco-pipe clay} (Min.), a species of clay used in making
        tobacco pipes; -- called also {cimolite}.
  
     {Tobacco-pipe fish}. (Zool.) See {Pipemouth}.
  
     {Tobacco stopper}, a small plug for pressing down the tobacco
        in a pipe as it is smoked.
  
     {Tobacco worm} (Zool.), the larva of a large hawk moth
        ({Sphinx Carolina} syn. {Phlegethontius Carolina}). It is
        dark green, with seven oblique white stripes bordered
        above with dark brown on each side of the body. It feeds
        upon the leaves of tobacco and tomato plants, and is often
        very injurious to the tobacco crop. See Illust. of {Hawk
        moth}.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  tobacco
       n 1: leaves of the tobacco plant dried and prepared for smoking
            or ingestion [syn: {baccy}]
       2: aromatic annual or perennial herbs and shrubs
       [also: {tobaccoes} (pl)]