cacoon

noun

ca·​coon

kaˈkün,

kə-

plural -s

1

West Indies : snuffbox bean

2

: a tropical American plant (Fevillea cordifolia) of the family Cucurbitaceae with seeds which have cathartic qualities

Word History

Etymology

perhaps borrowed from Yoruba kàkàùn selà, name for the woody vine Paullinia pinnata

First Known Use

1797, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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