rhubarb
/ˈruːbɑːb/noun
mass noun
1
- the thick leaf stalks of a cultivated plant of the dock family, which are reddish or green and eaten as a fruit after cooking大黄叶柄。
2
- the large-leaved Eurasian plant which produces these stalks大黄。
2.1
- Rheum rhaponticum (or rhabarbarum), family Polygonaceae拉丁名Rheum rhaponticum (或rhabarbarum), 蓼科。
2.2
- used in names of other plants of this genus, several of which are used medicinally, e.g. Chinese rhubarb用于大黄属其他植物名, 如： Chinese rhubarb。
3
- Brit. informal the noise made by a group of actors to give the impression of indistinct background conversation or to represent the noise of a crowd, especially by the random repetition of the word 'rhubarb' with different intonations〈英, 非正式〉（一群演员用不同音调乱嚷'rhubarb'时造成的）喧哗效果; 起哄。
3.1
- nonsense胡说; 无价值的东西：
it was all rhubarb, about me, about her daughter, about art.
关于我, 关于她女儿, 关于艺术的说法全是一派胡言。
3.2
- count noun N. Amer. informal a heated dispute〈北美, 非正式〉激烈的争论, 激烈的辩论。
词源
late Middle English (denoting the rootstock of other plants of this genus used medicinally)： from Old French reubarbe, from a shortening of medieval Latin rheubarbarum, alteration （by association with rheum 'rhubarb'） of rhabarbarum 'foreign rhubarb', from Greek rha （also meaning 'rhubarb'） + barbaros 'foreign'.