beggarweed

noun

beg·​gar·​weed ˈbe-gər-ˌwēd 

1

: any of various plants (such as knotgrass or dodder) that grow in waste ground

2

: any of several tick trefoils (genus Desmodium)

especially : a West Indian forage plant (D. tortuosum) cultivated in the southern U.S.

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1