Ye Olde Forgotten Pipe Term: Tobacco Edition

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oklansas

Can't Leave
Apr 16, 2013
441
0
DC
Today we take a journey to that most essential part of Pipe Smoking: Tobacco!
Over the centuries, tobacco has been called by many names. Some are strange, others obscure, and many forgotten. Here are but a few of the many monikers Tobacco has adopted over the years.
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Petunia
noun

1. Any of various widely cultivated South American plants of the genus Petunia, having alternate, entire leaves and funnel-shaped flowers in colors from white to purple.

2. An obsolete word for "tobacco plant," from Portuguese petum, from Guarani (Paraguay) pety - The word first is recorded (in German) as bittin; it survives as the regular word for tobacco only in Breton butun, but it was in use in English in 17c.
--
Weed
noun

1. A plant not valued for use or beauty

2. as slang

----a. Tobacco, c. 1600

----b. Marijuana, only since 1920's
Note: Since the usage of "weed" as slang for tobacco dates to considerably earlier than its usage for Marijuana - we win?
--
Sot-Weed
noun

1. Tobacco, archaic provincial usage from 14th century England
Note: This is interesting, depending on the word you decide to use as the derivation of the prefix "Sot" - this term means either "fool-weed" or "Sweet-weed" - take your pick :)
--
Check out Past Editions of "Ye Olde Forgotten Pipe Term"
#1 - Lunt

#2 - Kinnikinnick

#3 - Estaminet & Chasse

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Love it! I think I'll smoke a little weed, but not what you think. Or I think I'll light up a bowl of petunia. How cool is that.

Language is a lovely jungle, always changing and ever various. Thanks for this little safari into the wilds of words. Keep

'em coming. Delight.

 

oklansas

Can't Leave
Apr 16, 2013
441
0
DC
Oops. My mistake!
I made a bit of a typo there, the source I used, A Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words, Volume 2, is a collection of words dating FROM the 14th century FORWARD. So, when I was adding in the explanation at the end of the definition, I guess I wasn't really paying attention... :oops:
There is no actual origin of usage date that I could nail down, likely the usage dates from the 1500's - when the Spaniards introduced tobacco into Europe. Likely, this usage was probably eventually shortened to just, "weed."

 
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