upas

[ yoo-puhs ]

noun

1. the poisonous milky sap of a large tree, Antiaris toxicaria, of the mulberry family, native to tropical Asia, Africa, and the Philippine Islands, used for arrow poison.
2. the tree itself.

upas

/ ˈjuːpəs /

noun

1. a large moraceous tree of Java, Antiaria toxicaria, having whitish bark and poisonous milky sap
2. the sap of this tree, used as an arrow poison

Word History and Origins

Origin of upas¹

1775–85; < Javanese: poison, especially dart poison

Word History and Origins

Origin of upas¹

C19: from Malay: poison

Example Sentences

After Biden chose her as his running mate, Trump questioned her citizenship, bringing it upas a rumor he had heard, which was swiftly condemned by Democrats and even some Republicans as a smear attempt.

From Washington Post

The non-profit group Viva Rio runs six health centres, called UPAs, in Rio de Janeiro, all near favelas and all almost exclusively dealing with respiratory cases.

From The Guardian

Separate from Kronos, prosecutors now allege Mr. Hutchins also sold and developed “UPAS KIT,” another type of malware marketed to “install silently and not alert antivirus engines,” according to the updated indictment.

From Washington Times

From upas to coco de mer, an arboreal odyssey.

From Nature

We have all heard of that exasperating old Upas the very fibre of which if woven into a garment produces a constant itching to the wearer.

From Project Gutenberg