SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

upas

play

noun \ ˈyü-pəs \

Definition of upas

1 :a tall tropical Asian tree (Antiaris toxicaria) of the mulberry family with a latex that contains poisonous glycosides used as an arrow poison; also :a poisonous concentrate of the juice or latex of a upas

2 :a poisonous or harmful influence or institution

Recent Examples of upas from the Web

The deadly upas, root and branch, leaf and fibre, body and sap, must be utterly destroyed.

— frederick douglass, The Atlantic, "‘A Treacherous President Stood in the Way’," 16 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'upas.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of upas

Indonesian Malay pohon upas poison tree

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1814

See Words from the same year

Learn More about upas

See words that rhyme with upas

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up upas? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

yeasty

play

of yeast or being unsettled or frivolous

BROWSE DICTIONARY

upapurana

uparching

upas

upbank thaw

upbear

Test Your Vocabulary

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Which of the following is a new sense of the word bunny?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Dictionary Devil

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

alt-59c4207ecf106

Let's Talk 'Tea'

Spill it, sip it: just make it hot.

8 Words and Phrases from Boxing and Wrestling

Common terms that come from boxing and wrestling

alt-59c2960017c94

The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

When you push a meeting, where does it go?

Silent Letters

When each letter can be seen but not heard

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

young-plant-shoots

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

Take the quiz

stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz

Dictionary Devil

Dictionary Devil

The dictionary has been scrambled—can you put it back together?

Play the game