məˈtē(ˌ)kō noun
( -s )
Etymology: Spanish, perhaps from Matico, diminutive of Mateo Matthew (the name); perhaps from the discovery of its styptic qualities by a soldier named Mateo
1. : a shrubby tropical American wild pepper ( Piper angustifolium ) with slender elongated aromatic leaves that are rich in volatile oil, gums, and tannins
2. : the leaves of the matico used especially formerly in medicine chiefly as a stimulant and hemostatic