ipecac

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ipecac

/ˈɪp.ɪ.kæk/

Where it comes from

Contraction of ipecacuanha, from Portuguese ipecacuanha, from Old Tupi ypekakûãîa, from ypeka (“duck”) + akûãîa (“penis”).

noun ipecacs · ipecacuanha

countable, uncountable The dried rhizome and roots of either of two tropical American plants (Cephaelis acuminata and Cephaelis ipecacuanha) of the madder family used especially as a source of emetine.
countable, uncountable An emetic and expectorant drug that contains emetine and is prepared from ipecac especially as a syrup for use in treating accidental poisoning. Mary Reynolds could list her physician-owner's entire materia medica (the common term for pharmacological supplies) for slaves in one breathː "Dr. Kilpatrick gave sick [slaves] ipecac and asafoetide and oil and turpentine and black fever pills.
Similar: syrup of ipecac
countable, uncountable The shrub that produces ipecac (Cephaelis ipecacuanha), native to Brazil and cultivated elsewhere.

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MLA

"ipecac." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ipecac. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

ipecac. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ipecac

Chicago

"ipecac." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ipecac.

BibTeX

@misc{ipecac_2026,
  title = {ipecac},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ipecac},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}