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boogum

noun
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boo·​gum | \ ˈbü-gəm \
variants: or boojum \ ˈbü-​jəm How to pronounce boojum (audio) \
plural -s

Definition of boogum

: a spiny tree (Idria columnaris) of the family Fouquieriaceae chiefly of Lower California sometimes arching over and rooting at its tips

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First Known Use of boogum

1951, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for boogum

perhaps from boojum, an imaginary creature in The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll (C.L.Dodgson) †1898 English mathematician & writer; from its grotesque appearance

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The first known use of boogum was in 1951

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Cite this Entry

“Boogum.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boogum. Accessed 7 December 2019.

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