yage

noun

ya·​ge ˈyä-​ˌhā How to pronounce yage (audio)
variants or yagé or less commonly yaje or yajé
: ayahuasca
Among students at Columbia University, Michael Taussig has a glamorous reputation. An anthropologist who specializes in South America, he has hung out with shamans and tripped on yage, a potent hallucinogen, dozens of times.Emily Eakin

Examples of yage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Soon, Lee asks Allerton to accompany him to Ecuador to find the yage, or as it’s more commonly known, ayahuasca. Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Nov. 2024 He was obsessed with the idea that yage could enhance telepathy. Ira Silverberg, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2024 While all this is going on, Lee has developed a fascination for a South American plant called yage (aka ayahuasca) that apparently gives users telepathic powers and has caused an intelligence war between the CIA and the Kremlin. Damon Wise, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from American Spanish yagé, yajé, yahé, perhaps borrowed from a language in the Tukanoan family (spoken by American Indian peoples of southeastern Colombia and adjacent parts of Peru, Ecuador, and Brazil)

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of yage was in 1886

Dictionary Entries Near yage

Cite this Entry

“Yage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yage. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

yage

noun
ya·​ge
variants or yagé also yaje or yajé
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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