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.

Origin of upas

1
1775–85; <Javanese: poison, especially dart poison

Words Nearby upas

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use upas in a sentence

  • Without her aid, this seminal principle of mischief, this root of upas, could not have been planted.

  • I also found that there is no deadly upas-tree in Java, which was a distinct shock to me.

  • One of the experiments to be related below, was made with the upas prepared by myself, after my return to the chief village.

  • It has an exceedingly long stem, but does not yield, like the upas, a whitish milky juice.

    The Desert World | Arthur Mangin
  • This is the celebrated upas, whose deadly properties were formerly exaggerated in so many wonderful fables.

    The Desert World | Arthur Mangin

British Dictionary definitions for upas

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

Origin of upas

1
C19: from Malay: poison
  • Also: antiar

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012