puccoon

puccoon

English

Alternative forms

• paucon, pauson
• pocones [17th c.]

Etymology

From Powhatan poughkone. Puccoon thus forms a doublet with poke (“pokeweed”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /pʌˈkuːn/

Noun

puccoon (countable and uncountable, plural puccoons)

1. (countable, botany) Any one of several plants yielding a red pigment which is used by the North American Indians, such as the bloodroot and two species of Lithospermum, Lithospermum hirtum and Lithospermum canescens.
   • 2002, Stephen G Ausband, Byrd's line, page 62:

     The puccoon dye was used as a sort of body rouge; it rubbed off on English linen quite easily, as Byrd's men discovered.

2. (uncountable) The red pigment (dye) obtained from these plants.
   • 1624, John Smith, Generall Historie, quoted by Kupperman in 1988, page 61:

     their head and shoulders [were] painted red, with Oyle and Pocones mingled together, which Scarlet-like colour made an exceeding handsome shew [...].

Derived terms

• Canada puccoon (Sanguinaria canadensis)
• Carolina puccoon (Lithospermum caroliniense)
• fringed puccoon (Lithospermum incisum)
• golden puccoon (Lithospermum caroliniense)
• hairy puccoon (Lithospermum caroliniense)
• hoary puccoon (Lithospermum canescens)
• narrow-leaved puccoon (Lithospermum incisum)
• narrowleaf puccoon (Lithospermum incisum)
• red puccoon (Sanguinaria canadensis)

References

• puccoon in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.