tobacco
n. uncountablen. the dried leaves of a plant that people smoke in cigarettes, pipes, or cigars. It contains a chemical called nicotine that makes it hard to stop using it.
n. the prepared leaves of the Nicotiana plant, processed for smoking, chewing, or sniffing. It contains the alkaloid nicotine, which acts as a stimulant and is highly addictive.
The government increased the tax on tobacco last year.
Farmers in this region have grown tobacco for generations, though many are now switching to food crops.
Public health initiatives have significantly reduced the consumption of tobacco in many countries, though its cultivation remains a vital economic pillar for several developing nations.
Attested since 1588, borrowed from Spanish tabaco. The Spanish word could be from Arabic طُبَّاق (ṭubbāq, “Dittrichia viscosa”) or from a Caribbean language such as Kari'na or Taíno or multiple of them, from a word meaning "roll of tobacco leaves" or "a pipe for smoking tobacco," such as tabago (“tube for inhaling smoke or powdered intoxicating plants”).
Typically uncountable when referring to the substance; can be countable when referring to specific varieties or brands of the product.