barbasco

[ bahr-bas-koh, -bah-skoh ]

noun

, plural bar·bas·cos.

1. a shrub or small tree, Jacquinia barbasco, of tropical America, the source of a substance used to stun fish so they can be caught easily.
2. any similar plant yielding a substance that stuns or kills fish.
3. the fish-stunning or fish-killing substance obtained from these plants.

Word History and Origins

Origin of barbasco¹

First recorded in 1855–60; from Latin American Spanish, said to be alteration of verbasco “mullein,” from Latin verbascum

Example Sentences

The Savanerics poison pools with pounded leaves of the barbasco, and thus obtain fish without much labor.

From Project Gutenberg

They catch fish with bone hooks, seines, spears, and by poisoning the water with barbasco.

From Project Gutenberg