cubeb cigarette

9.9

A cigarette that contains cubeb, a spice once used for medicine

noun

Archaic

: cigarrillo de cubeba

The doctor suggested trying a cubeb cigarette to relieve his sore throat, though the practice is now outdated.

Examples

In the early 20th century, a cubeb cigarette was sometimes recommended for respiratory issues.
She found an old advertisement for a cubeb cigarette in a vintage magazine collection.
I tried a cubeb cigarette for the first time.
Have you ever smoked a cubeb cigarette?
In the early 20th century, a cubeb cigarette was sometimes recommended for respiratory issues.
The doctor suggested trying a cubeb cigarette to relieve his sore throat, though the practice is now outdated.
She found an old advertisement for a cubeb cigarette in a vintage magazine collection.

Synonyms

cubeb

vscubeb cigarette

Archaic

9.9

A cigarette that contains the spice and was used to soothe sore throats

is a similar spice cigarette used more broadly for historic medicinal purposes

Surface Forms

cubeb cigarette singular

cubeb cigarettes plural

Morphology

cubeb + cigarette

The meaning 'a cigarette containing cubeb' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'cubeb' (the spice or flavoring) with 'cigarette' (a small roll of tobacco). The modifier+noun compositional pattern is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The noun cubeb cigarette comes from a small spicy berry called cubeb that people once put in a cigarette because they thought the smoke would help with breathing and soothe sore throats. So today cubeb cigarette means 'a cigarette containing cubeb', though this is no longer common.