■ noun ( plural ~s )
1》 a preparation of the dried and fermented nicotine-rich leaves of an American plant, used for smoking or chewing.
2》 the plant of the nightshade family which yields ~, native to tropical America. [ Nicotiana tabacum .]
↘an ornamental plant related to ~.
Origin
C16: from Sp. tabaco ; perh. from a Carib word denoting a ~ pipe or from a Taino word for a primitive cigar, or from Arab.