a tall North American plant, Phytolacca americana, that has small white flowers, juicy purple berries, and a poisonous purple root used medicinally: family Phytolaccaceae
Sometimes shortened to: poke. Also called: inkberry
Word origin
C18 poke, shortened from Algonquian puccoon plant used in dyeing, from pak blood
pokeweed in American English
(ˈpoʊkˌwid)
US
noun
1.
a North American plant (Phytolacca americana) of the pokeweed family, with clusters of purplish-white flowers, reddish-purple berries, and smooth leaves and stems: the roots and berry seeds are poisonous
adjective
2.
designating a family (Phytolaccaceae, order Caryophyllales) of dicotyledonous trees, shrubs, and plants