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Glite Dictionary
barbasco

barbasco

9.9
A small tree or shrub that has thick soapy leaves and very hard wood used for tools
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : barbasco
  • The craftsmen used barbasco to create strong furniture due to its extremely hard wood.

Examples

  • Though we had coated the sailing raft with barbasco (a native plant) solution and standard ship's antifouling paint.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Barbasco is known for its leathery leaves, which help it thrive in harsh environments.

  • The whole village set up camp by the lagoon, bringing barbasco, a poison they would put in the water to stun the fish.

  • Common mullein, an Old World biennial that grows profusely on dry, sandy soils of overgrazed pastures, was the original fish poison, barbasco, of antiquity.

    Academic text (1991)

  • Many locals rely on barbasco for fishing, as its poison effectively stuns fish in the water.

Synonyms

joewood
vsbarbasco
  • UK
9.9

A small Caribbean tree with tough, soapy leaves and very hard wood

uses more formal botanical wording and stronger emphasis on hardness
Jacquinia keyensis
vsbarbasco
  • Specialized
9.9

A shrub or small tree from the Caribbean with thick, tough leaves and very hard wood

is the common descriptive name rather than the scientific species label

Surface Forms

barbasco singular
barbascos plural

Etymology

Barbasco comes from Spanish and was used for local plants that people used as medicine or to stun fish, so the name was given to this West Indian shrub with leathery, soapy leaves and very hard wood. One idea is it may be linked to Spanish barba 'beard' because some of these plants have hairy roots, which is a helpful way to remember the name.