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Cohosh

2 stages from Eastern Abenaki/Penobscot to English.

Today it means a North American woodland plant (black or blue cohosh) whose root has traditionally been used as an herbal remedy

Where does the word "cohosh" come from? It comes from Eastern Abenaki/Penobscot kkwahas, adopted directly into English (1790s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
kkwahas
Eastern Abenaki/Penobscot · pre-1700s
"rough"
meant 'rough', describing the plant's gnarled root
2
Stage 2 of 2
cohosh
English · 1790s
"a woodland plant with a rough rhizome, used medicinally"
adopted by English-speaking colonists who learned of the plant's medicinal root from Algonquian peoples
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