Main Entry: rhu·barb

Pronunciation: \ˈrü-ˌbärb\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English rubarbe, from Anglo-French reubarbe, from Medieval Latin reubarbarum, alteration of rha barbarum, literally, barbarian rhubarb

Date: 15th century

1 : any of a genus (Rheum) of Asian plants of the buckwheat family having large leaves with thick succulent petioles often used as food; also : the petioles of rhubarb
2 : the dried rhizome and roots of any of several rhubarbs (as Rheum officinale and R. palmatum) grown in China and Tibet and used as a purgative and stomachic
3 : a heated dispute or controversy