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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Tobacco box

Tobacco \To*bac"co\, n. [Sp. tabaco, fr. the Indian tabaco the tube or pipe in which the Indians or Caribbees smoked this plant. Some derive the word from Tabaco, a province of Yucatan, where it was said to be first found by the Spaniards; others from the island of Tobago, one of the Caribbees. But these derivations are very doubtful.]

  1. (Bot.) An American plant ( Nicotiana Tabacum) of the Nightshade family, much used for smoking and chewing, and as snuff. As a medicine, it is narcotic, emetic, and cathartic. Tobacco has a strong, peculiar smell, and an acrid taste.

    Note: The name is extended to other species of the genus, and to some unrelated plants, as Indian tobacco ( Nicotiana rustica, and also Lobelia inflata), mountain tobacco ( Arnica montana), and Shiraz tobacco ( Nicotiana Persica).

  2. The leaves of the plant prepared for smoking, chewing, etc., by being dried, cured, and manufactured in various ways. Tobacco box (Zo["o]l.), the common American skate. Tobacco camphor. (Chem.) See Nicotianine. Tobacco man, a tobacconist. [R.] Tobacco pipe.

    1. A pipe used for smoking, made of baked clay, wood, or other material.

    2. (Bot.) Same as Indian pipe, under Indian.

      Tobacco-pipe clay (Min.), a species of clay used in making tobacco pipes; -- called also cimolite.

      Tobacco-pipe fish. (Zo["o]l.) See Pipemouth.

      Tobacco stopper, a small plug for pressing down the tobacco in a pipe as it is smoked.

      Tobacco worm (Zo["o]l.), the larva of a large hawk moth ( Sphinx Carolina syn. Phlegethontius Carolina). It is dark green, with seven oblique white stripes bordered above with dark brown on each side of the body. It feeds upon the leaves of tobacco and tomato plants, and is often very injurious to the tobacco crop. See Illust. of Hawk moth.

Usage examples of "tobacco box".

Peter Marlowe rolled a cigarette and replaced the savings in his tobacco box.

When he had finished he ran off to get his tobacco box, and we could hear the bellowing of his laughter dwindling up the stair.

His eyes searched various objects resting on tables and chairs around his tent-spare clothing, his grail, a carved wooden tobacco box and other handmade ornaments given to him by visiting fans, his guitar-until his gaze found a long, flat thing in the corner.

His eyes searched various objects resting on tables and chairs around his tentspare clothing, his grail, a carved wooden tobacco box and other handmade ornaments given to him by visiting fans, his guitaruntil his gaze found a long, flat thing in the corner.

Sam settled into a seat with Atlas-sized armrests and watched the flight information display monitor for a couple of minutes before he cracked open his small tobacco box.

Crash immediately reached for a tobacco box that had been made out of an elephant's hoof.