pituri

[ pich-uh-ree ]

noun

1. a solanaceous shrub or small tree, Duboisia hopwoodi, of Australia.
2. a stimulant made from the dried leaves and twigs of this plant, used by Aboriginal peoples as a narcotic.

pituri

/ ˈpɪtʃərɪ /

noun

1. an Australian solanaceous shrub, Duboisia hopwoodii, the leaves of which are the source of a narcotic used by the native Australians

Word History and Origins

Origin of pituri¹

First recorded in 1860–65, pituri is from the Wiradjuri word pi-ju-rī

Word History and Origins

Origin of pituri¹

C19: from a native Australian name

Example Sentences

Nicotiana benthamiana, known as pituri to indigenous Aboriginal tribes who use it as chewing tobacco, underwent a genetic mutation roughly 750,000 years ago to help it thrive despite the extreme conditions of the Outback, says Peter Waterhouse, a plant geneticist at Queensland University of Technology.

From Wall Street Journal

The "pituri" is much prized by the blacks.

From Project Gutenberg

At Glenormiston, one of the stations visited, the blacks had just returned from the Mulligan River, where they had procured their season's supply of "Pituri."

From Project Gutenberg

During this excursion Kennedy noticed that the blacks were given to "chewing tobacco in a green state;" but the "tobacco" was, of course, the pituri plant, which they are accustomed to masticate.

From Project Gutenberg