Definition

Noun: 1. A tropical shrub with an unpleasant odor: A very leafy, bad-smelling tropical shrub considered a weed. Its seeds have historically been used as an adulterant (a cheaper, inferior substitute) for coffee beans. It is sometimes classified in the genus Cassia.

Usage Notes

• This is a common name for a specific plant, not a general descriptive phrase. It refers to the plant (formerly ), also known as coffee senna or septicweed.
• The name directly describes two key characteristics: its strong, unpleasant smell ("stinking") and its status as an invasive, unwanted plant ("weed").
• It is used in botanical, agricultural, or historical contexts.

Examples

• The field was overrun with stinking weed, making the whole area smell foul.
• Historically, unscrupulous merchants used ground seeds from the stinking weed to dilute real coffee.
• Farmers work to control the spread of stinking weed in pasturelands, as it can be harmful to livestock.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used metaphorically to describe something undesirable or corrupting that has been mixed into something else, analogous to how its seeds were mixed into coffee.
  • His cynical attitude was like a stinking weed in the otherwise optimistic team.

Variants and Related Words

• Coffee Senna: The more formal/common botanical name for the same plant ().
• Septicweed: Another common name for this plant.
• Weed (n): A general term for any wild plant growing where it is not wanted.

Synonyms

• Coffee senna
• Septicweed
• (scientific name)

Related Phrases/Idioms

• To weed out: To remove unwanted elements. While not containing the phrase "stinking weed," this phrasal verb shares the conceptual link of removing undesirable things.
  • The first round of interviews will help weed out unqualified candidates.

Noun

1. very leafy malodorous tropical weedy shrub whose seeds have been used as an adulterant for coffee; sometimes classified in genus Cassia