garget n 1: tall coarse perennial American herb having small white flowers followed by blackish-red berries on long drooping racemes; young fleshy stems are edible; berries and root are poisonous [syn: {poke}, {pigeon berry}, {garget}, {scoke}, {Phytolacca americana}]
Garget \Garget\, n. [OE. garget, gargate, throat, OF. gargate. Cf. {Gorge}. The etymol. of senses 2, 3, & 4 is not certain.] 1. The throat. [Obs.] --Chaucer. [1913 Webster] 2. A diseased condition of the udders of cows, etc., arising from an inflammation of the mammary glands. [1913 Webster] 3. A distemper in hogs, indicated by staggering and loss of appetite. --Youatt. [1913 Webster] 4. (Bot.) See {Poke}. [1913 Webster]
Poke \Poke\, n. (Bot.) A large North American herb of the genus {Phytolacca} ({Phytolacca decandra}), bearing dark purple juicy berries; -- called also {garget}, {pigeon berry}, {pocan}, and {pokeweed}. The root and berries have emetic and purgative properties, and are used in medicine. The young shoots are sometimes eaten as a substitute for asparagus, and the berries are said to be used in Europe to color wine. [1913 Webster]