cowhage

noun

cow·​hage ˈkau̇-ij 

variants or less commonly cowage

: a tropical woody vine (Mucuna pruriens) of the legume family with crooked pods covered with barbed hairs that cause severe itching

also : these hairs formerly used as a vermifuge

Examples of cowhage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One approach that’s been especially fruitful for zeroing in on non-histamine itch is to poke people with tiny hairs (or spicules) from a tropical plant called cowhage, or velvet bean. —Katherine Harmon Courage, Discover Magazine, 27 Nov. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Hindi kavā̃c, kevā̃c

First Known Use

1640, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

cowhage

noun

cow·​hage

variants also cowage

ˈkau̇-ij 

: a tropical leguminous woody vine (Mucuna pruriens) with crooked pods covered with barbed hairs that cause severe itching

also : these hairs formerly used as a vermifuge