ayahuasca

American  

[ah-yuh-wah-skuh] / ˌɑ yəˈwɑ skə /

noun

1. a woody South American vine, Banisteriopsis caapi, of the malpighia family, having bark that is the source of harmine, a hallucinogenic alkaloid used by Amazon Indians.

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ayahuasca British  

/ ˌaɪəˈwɑːskə /

noun

1. a Brazilian plant, Banisteriopsis caapi, that has winged fruits and yields a powerful hallucinogenic alkaloid sometimes used to treat certain disorders of the central nervous system: family Malpighiaceae

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Etymology

Origin of ayahuasca

From Latin American Spanish (Ecuador, Peru); from Quechua aya “dead” + huasca “rope”

Example Sentences

“The ways things blend here is through the idea of nonhuman intelligence, whether it’s a nuts-and-bolts spacecraft to someone talking to ghost to a DMT or ayahuasca experience to talking to artificial intelligence.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2024

They speak their own language, take ayahuasca to connect with forest spirits and trap spider monkeys to make soup or keep as pets.

From New York Times • Jun. 2, 2024

Over thousands of years, Indigenous communities have cultivated relationships with and accumulated knowledge on psychedelics such as psilocybin mushrooms, the Amazonian botanical brew ayahuasca, and the West African shrub iboga.

From Science Magazine • Feb. 22, 2023

Citing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a New Mexico church won the right to use ayahuasca as a sacrament.

From Washington Times • Feb. 2, 2023

In the past century, churches sprouted up in South America where ayahuasca is legal.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 2, 2023