# ipecac

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɪp.ɪ.kæk/ · frequency rank #79,640

## Definitions
1. 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.
2. An emetic and expectorant drug that contains emetine and is prepared from ipecac especially as a syrup for use in treating accidental poisoning.
3. The shrub that produces ipecac (Cephaelis ipecacuanha), native to Brazil and cultivated elsewhere.

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

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/ipecac