RHUBARB

pieplant, rhubarb

(noun) long pinkish sour leafstalks usually eaten cooked and sweetened

rhubarb, rhubarb plant

(noun) plants having long green or reddish acidic leafstalks growing in basal clumps; stems (and only the stems) are edible when cooked; leaves are poisonous

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology 1

Noun

rhubarb (countable and uncountable, plural rhubarb or rhubarbs)

Any plant of the genus Rheum, especially Rheum rhabarbarum, having large leaves and long green or reddish acidic leafstalks that are edible, in particular when cooked (although the leaves are mildly poisonous).

(often, attributive) The leafstalks of common rhubarb or garden rhubarb (usually known as Rheum × hybridum), which are long, fleshy, often pale red, and with a tart taste, used as a food ingredient; they are frequently stewed with sugar and made into jam or used in crumbles, pies, etc.

The dried rhizome and roots of Rheum palmatum (Chinese rhubarb) or Rheum officinale (Tibetan rhubarb), from China, used as a laxative and purgative.

(Britain, military, aviation, historical) A Royal Air Force World War II code name for operations by aircraft (fighters and fighter-bombers) involving low-level flight to seek opportunistic targets.

Synonyms

• (common rhubarb): tusky (dialectal)

Adjective

rhubarb (not comparable)

Of the colour of rhubarb: either brownish-yellow (the colour of rhubarb rhizomes and roots used for medicinal purposes), or pale red (often the colour of the leafstalks of common rhubarb).

Verb

rhubarb (third-person singular simple present rhubarbs, present participle rhubarbing, simple past and past participle rhubarbed)

(Britain, military, aviation) Of fighter aircraft: to fire at a target opportunistically.

Etymology 2

Noun

rhubarb (countable and uncountable, plural rhubarbs)

(originally, theater, uncountable) General background noise caused by several simultaneous indecipherable conversations, which is created in films, stage plays, etc, by actors repeating the word rhubarb; hence, such noise in other settings; rhubarb rhubarb, rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb.

(US, originally, baseball, countable) An excited, angry exchange of words, especially at a sporting event.

(US, originally, baseball, by extension, countable) A brawl.

Verb

rhubarb (third-person singular simple present rhubarbs, present participle rhubarbing, simple past and past participle rhubarbed)

(intransitive, originally, theater) Of an actor in a film, stage play, etc.: to repeat the word rhubarb to create the sound of indistinct conversation; hence, to converse indistinctly, to mumble.

(transitive) To articulate indistinctly or mumble (words or phrases); to say inconsequential or vague things because one does not know what to say, or to stall for time.

Source: Wiktionary

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Rhu"barb, n. Etym: [F. rhubarbe, OF. rubarbe, rheubarbe, reubarbare, reobarbe, LL. rheubarbarum for rheum barbarum, Gr. Rha (the Volga) on whose banks it grew. Originally, therefore, it was the barbarian plant from the Rha. Cf. Barbarous, Rhaponticine.]

1. (Bot.)

Definition: The name of several large perennial herbs of the genus Rheum and order Polygonaceæ.

2. The large and fleshy leafstalks of Rheum Rhaponticum and other species of the same genus. They are pleasantly acid, and are used in cookery. Called also pieplant.

3. (Med.)

Definition: The root of several species of Rheum, used much as a cathartic medicine. Monk's rhubarb. (Bot.) See under Monk.

– Turkey rhubarb (Med.), the roots of Rheum Emodi.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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