Marijuana

Marijuana

Noun · /ˌmær.ɪˈwɑː.nə/

Definition

The cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica); the dried leaves, flowers, and stems of the cannabis plant used as a psychoactive drug, typically by smoking; also called cannabis, weed, pot, grass, and many other informal terms.

Origin

From Mexican Spanish mariguana or marihuana, of uncertain further origin — possibly from a Nahuatl or other Indigenous Mexican language word, or possibly from Portuguese Maria Juana (Mary Jane). The word was adopted into American English in the early 20th century and became widely used through the US government's anti-cannabis campaigns of the 1930s, led by Harry Anslinger, which deliberately chose the Spanish-sounding word to associate the drug with Mexican immigrants.