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Bush

noun BUSH bʊʃ

Also spelled: di bush, bushy

Meaning

Wild, uncultivated land — thick vegetation, the deep countryside, or overgrown ground. 'Bush' can also mean wild herbs and plants used for teas and remedies, as in 'bush medicine'.

Examples

  • “Di goat run gaan inna di bush.”

    The goat ran off into the bush.

  • “Granny boil some bush tea fi di cold.”

    Grandma boiled some herbal tea for the cold.

    'Bush' here means medicinal wild herbs.

  • “Di land grow up inna pure bush.”

    The land is overgrown with thick vegetation.

Origin

From English 'bush' for wild scrubland, a usage shared across the Caribbean and the wider colonial world; the 'bush medicine' sense reflects folk herbal traditions.

How it's used

Two linked senses: wild land, and the wild plants gathered from it for remedies. Context makes clear which is meant.

Related words