boogum

noun

boo·​gum

ˈbü-gəm

variants or boojum

ˈbü-jəm 

plural -s

: a spiny tree (Idria columnaris) of the family Fouquieriaceae chiefly of Lower California sometimes arching over and rooting at its tips

Word History

Etymology

perhaps from boojum, an imaginary creature in The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll (C.L.Dodgson) †1898 English mathematician & writer; from its grotesque appearance

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined above

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