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Kudzu

2 stages from Japanese to English.

Today it means a fast-spreading invasive vine, notorious in the American South for overrunning land

Where does the word "kudzu" come from? It comes from Japanese kuzu, adopted directly into English (1876).

1
Stage 1 of 2
kuzu
Japanese · ancient
"a fast-growing climbing vine"
the native name for the climbing vine and its edible starch
2
Stage 2 of 2
kudzu
English · 1876
"an invasive fast-growing vine"
introduced to Americans at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition as an ornamental and forage plant
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