n.
Pronunciation: ' rü- ˌ bärb
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English rubarbe, from Anglo-French reubarbe, from Medieval Latin reubarbarum, alteration of rha barbarum, literally, barbarian rhubarb
Date: 15th century
1 : any of a genus ( Rheum ) of Asian plants of the buckwheat family having large leaves with thick succulent petioles often used as food also : the petioles of rhubarb
2 : the dried rhizome and roots of any of several rhubarbs (as Rheum officinale and R. palmatum ) grown in China and Tibet and used as a purgative and stomachic
3 : a heated dispute or controversy