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First English attribution from 1588, from Spanish tabaco, in part from an Arawakan (probably Taino) language of the Caribbean, said to mean "a roll of tobacco leaves" (according to Las Casas, 1552) or "a kind of pipe for smoking tobacco" (according to Oviedo, 1535). Scholars of Caribbean languages lean toward Las Casas' explanation. But Spanish tabaco (also Italian tabacco) was a name for varied groups of medicinal herbs from c.1410, from Arabic tabbaq, attested since 9th. century as the name of grouped herb mixtures. Hence, the word may be a European one transferred to an American plant.

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15y ago

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