ENGLISH
REFERENCE

buckwheat

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US //ˈbəˌkwit// UK //bˈʌkwiːt// buck·wheat Humorous Slang Vulgar

n. a plant that looks like a small buck or a male deer. It is often used as a joke to describe a man who is not very attractive or has a lot of money.

n. a plant of the genus Fagopyrum, specifically the common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum). In informal or slang contexts, it refers to a man, often used to describe someone who is unattractive or has significant wealth.


SIMPLE

He is a real buckwheat with no money to spend.

CONTEXTUAL

The comedian used the term buckwheat to describe a character who was both poor and socially awkward.

Origin

Ultimately from Middle Low German bōkwête (“beech-wheat”) (so called because of its triangular seeds, which resemble the much larger seeds of the beech nut from the beech tree, and the fact that it is used like wheat), probably via Middle Dutch boecweit, boecweite. Compare German Buchweizen. Despite the name, buckwheat is not related to wheat, as it is not a grass.

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