nicotiana tabacum

3 definitions found

nicotiana tabacum - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Nicotine \Nic"o*tine\ (? or ?), n. [F. nicotine. See
     Nicotian.] (Chem.)
     An alkaloid which is the active principle of tobacco
     (C10H14N2). It occurs in tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum
      and Nicotiana rusticum) to the extent of 2 to 8%,
     in combination with malic acid or citric acid. It is a
     colorless, transparent, oily liquid, having an acrid odor,
     and an acrid burning taste. It is intensely poisonous. The
     apparently addictive effects of tobacco smoking have been
     ascribed largely to the effect of nicotine, and the
     controlled administration of nicotine on various forms has
     been used as a technique for assisting efforts to stop the
     smoking habit. --Ure.
     [1913 Webster +PJC]

  Tobacco \To*bac"co\, n. [Sp. tabaco, fr. the Indian tabaco the
     tube or pipe in which the Indians or Caribbees smoked this
     plant. Some derive the word from Tabaco, a province of
     Yucatan, where it was said to be first found by the
     Spaniards; others from the island of Tobago, one of the
     Caribbees. But these derivations are very doubtful.]
     1. (Bot.) An American plant (Nicotiana Tabacum) of the
        Nightshade family, much used for smoking and chewing, and
        as snuff. As a medicine, it is narcotic, emetic, and
        cathartic. Tobacco has a strong, peculiar smell, and an
        acrid taste.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: The name is extended to other species of the genus, and
           to some unrelated plants, as Indian tobacco (Nicotiana rustica
           , and also Lobelia inflata), mountain tobacco
           (Arnica montana), and Shiraz tobacco (Nicotiana Persica
           ).
           [1913 Webster]
  
     2. The leaves of the plant prepared for smoking, chewing,
        etc., by being dried, cured, and manufactured in various
        ways.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Tobacco box (Zool.), the common American skate.
  
     Tobacco camphor. (Chem.) See Nicotianine.
  
     Tobacco man, a tobacconist. [R.]
  
     Tobacco pipe.
        (a) A pipe used for smoking, made of baked clay, wood, or
            other material.
        (b) (Bot.) Same as Indian pipe, under Indian.
  
     Tobacco-pipe clay (Min.), a species of clay used in making
        tobacco pipes; -- called also cimolite.
  
     Tobacco-pipe fish. (Zool.) See Pipemouth.
  
     Tobacco stopper, a small plug for pressing down the tobacco
        in a pipe as it is smoked.
  
     Tobacco worm (Zool.), the larva of a large hawk moth
        (Sphinx Carolina syn. Phlegethontius Carolina). It is
        dark green, with seven oblique white stripes bordered
        above with dark brown on each side of the body. It feeds
        upon the leaves of tobacco and tomato plants, and is often
        very injurious to the tobacco crop. See Illust. of Hawk  moth
        .
        [1913 Webster]

nicotiana tabacum - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  Nicotiana tabacum
      n 1: tall erect South American herb with large ovate leaves and
           terminal clusters of tubular white or pink flowers;
           cultivated for its leaves [syn: common tobacco,
           Nicotiana tabacum]