kudzu
noun/ˈkʊd.zuː/ · /ˈkʌd.zuː/
Etymology From Japanese 葛(くず) (kuzu). The spelling kudzu (instead of kuzu) is due to the historical transliteration methods of Japanese into English (compare adzuki).
1
Usually An Asian vine (several species in the genus Pueraria, but mostly Pueraria montana var. lobata, syn. Pueraria lobata in the US), grown as a root starch, and which is a notorious invasive weed in the United States.
- By 2020, droughts and other extreme weather will be commonplace. By 2040, the Sahara will be moving into Europe, and Berlin will be as hot as Baghdad. Atlanta will end up a kudzu jungle.2007 November 1, Jeff Goodell, “James Lovelock, the Prophet”, in Rolling Stone:
- Walled off communities, private jets, private security details are spreading like kudzu around the world.2011 August 31, Ashley Dawson, “Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor: An Interview with Rob Nixon”, in Social Text:
1 more example
- All the author’s familiar trademarks are here: […] shaggy-dog plotlines sprouting everywhere, like kudzu; […]2013 September 10, Michiko Kakutani, “A Calamity Tailor-Made for Internet Conspiracy Theories”, in New York Times:
2
Cooking, Food, Lifestyle, Medicine, Sciences Usually A starch extracted from the root that is used in traditional East Asian medicine and cuisine.
- Kudzu is available in natural food stores and Oriental markets; it is often sold in lumps that must be crushed in a mortar before measuring.1989 November, Drew DeSilver, Jan Gahala, “What is that stuff?”, in Vegetarian Times, →ISSN, page 43:
- Kudzu, a starch extracted from the root of the kudzu plant, acts similarly to cornstarch or arrowroot but is preferable for bone health because it contains some calcium.2009, Annemarie Colbin, Whole-food Guide to Strong Bones, New Harbinger Publications, →ISBN, page 233:
- Derived terms
- kudzu bug, kudzued, kudzu powder, kudzu tea