RHUBARB


Meaning of RHUBARB in English

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

Merriam Webster Collegiate English Dictionary.      Merriam Webster - Энциклопедический словарь английского языка.