‖ sunn Anglo-Ind.
(sʌn)
Also 8 son, 8–9 sun, 9 san.
[a. Urdū, Hindī san (Skr. {cced}āṇá hempen).]
A branching leguminous shrub, Crotalaria juncea, with long narrow leaves and bright yellow flowers, widely cultivated in Southern Asia for its fibre; also, the fibre of this plant used for rope, cordage, sacking, etc.
| 1774 Phil. Trans. LXIV. 99 Of the Culture and Uses of the Son or Sun-plant of Hindostan. 1800 Ann. Reg., Chron. 38/1 The new species of hemp called sun, the produce of Bengal..has turned out nearly equal to our own rope. 1813 W. Milburn Oriental Comm. (1825) 289 At Comercolly there are two species of sunn; the best is called phool, the other boggy. 1851 Forbes Veg. World in Art Jrnl. Illust. Cat. ii. p. vj † /2 The Bengal hemp or sun. 1894 Times 17 Aug. 9/4 All binding twine manufactured..from New Zealand hemp, istle or Tampico fibre, sisal grass, or sunn. |
b. transf. Applied to Hibiscus cannabinus, which yields brown or Indian hemp.
| 1846 Lindley Veget. Kingd. 369 We know Hibiscus cannabinus, or Sun, is [cultivated] in India, as a substitute for hemp. |
c. attrib., as sunn-hemp, sunn-plant, sunn-waste.
| 1774 [see above]. 1849 Balfour Man. Bot. §782 Hibiscus cannabinus is the source whence sun-hemp is procured in India. 1855 Stephens Bk. Farm (ed. 2) §3139 Crotolaria juncea, the sun hemp. 1887 C. A. Moloney Forestry W. Afr. 186 For Paper-making, the only Indian fibres that seemed hopeful were bamboo.., plantain.., jute, and sunn waste. |