Are you 21 years of age or older?

By entering this website you agree to our Terms of Service,
Privacy Policy and Accessibility Statement

The Sunflower cannabis dictionary

The Cannabis Dictionary

📖 Reference · 60+ terms

Every weed word, defined

Walk into any dispensary and you'll hear a hundred terms tossed around like everyone was born knowing them. You weren't, and that's fine. Here's the whole vocabulary in plain English — bookmark it and check back anytime.

Plant & Genetics

Indica
Traditionally labeled the "relaxing, body-heavy" type, from shorter, bushier plants. Useful shorthand, but see the note below — modern testing says the label is a weak predictor of how a strain actually feels.
Sativa
Traditionally the "uplifting, heady" type, from taller plants. Like "indica," it's a rough guide at best.
Hybrid
A cross of indica and sativa lineage. The vast majority of modern strains are hybrids.
The indica/sativa critique good to know
Research increasingly shows these labels don't reliably predict effects. A strain's chemovar — its actual terpene and cannabinoid makeup — lines up far better. See our terpene guide for how to shop this way.
Strain
The everyday word for a named variety of cannabis, like Blue Dream or GMO. Botanically the more correct term is "cultivar."
Cultivar
"Cultivated variety" — the botanically proper term for what most people call a strain.
Chemovar
A variety classified by its chemical profile (cannabinoids + terpenes) rather than its name or lineage. The most accurate way to predict experience.
Cross
The offspring of breeding two parent varieties together (e.g., "a cross of GSC and Durban Poison").

Cannabinoids

THC
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol — the main intoxicating compound in cannabis. The "high" comes from THC.
CBD
Cannabidiol — non-intoxicating; popularly associated with a calming, "take the edge off" character. Won't get you high on its own.
CBG
Cannabigerol — the "mother cannabinoid" that others form from. Non-intoxicating; often associated with focus and clarity (research is early).
CBN
Cannabinol — mildly psychoactive; forms as THC ages and breaks down with heat, light, and air. Popularly linked to sleep, though the evidence is still limited.
THCA
Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid — the raw, non-intoxicating acid form found in fresh flower. It becomes THC when heated (see decarboxylation).
Decarboxylation ("decarb")
The heat-driven reaction (from smoking, vaping, or baking) that converts THCA into active THC. It's why raw flower won't get you high until it's heated.

Plant Anatomy & Raw Material

Trichomes
The tiny, frosty, mushroom-shaped resin glands on the flower that produce cannabinoids and terpenes. That "crystal" look is a sign of trichome coverage.
Flower / Bud
The smokable, dried-and-cured blossom of the female cannabis plant. The classic product.
Kief
Loose, powdery, sifted trichome heads. Potent on its own and can be pressed into hash or added on top of a bowl.
Shake
The small loose bits that break off larger buds. Often cheaper and frequently used to fill pre-rolls.

Products & Amounts

Pre-roll
A ready-rolled joint — no rolling skill required. See our pre-rolls →
Infused pre-roll
A pre-roll boosted with concentrate (kief, rosin, distillate, etc.) for extra potency.
Gram
One gram of flower — the smallest common amount.
Eighth
An eighth of an ounce = 3.5 grams. The most common flower purchase.
Quarter
A quarter ounce = 7 grams.
Ounce ("zip")
A full ounce = 28 grams.
Cart (cartridge)
A pre-filled vape cartridge of cannabis oil (usually distillate or live resin) that screws onto a battery. See vapes →
Disposable
An all-in-one vape — cartridge plus a built-in battery — used and thrown away when empty.
Edible
Any cannabis-infused food or drink. Onset is slow (see Consumption). See edibles →
Tincture
A liquid cannabis extract in a carrier (oil, alcohol, or glycerin), dosed with a dropper.
RSO (Rick Simpson Oil)
A thick, dark, full-spectrum whole-plant oil, usually taken orally in very small amounts. Very potent.

Dabbing & Hardware

Concentrate
Any product refined to concentrate the cannabinoids and terpenes — rosin, resin, distillate, hash, and so on. Read our concentrate guide →
Dab
A small dose of concentrate vaporized at high heat and inhaled. A "dab" is both the dose and the act.
Dab rig
A water pipe built specifically for vaporizing concentrates.
Banger
The bucket-shaped quartz, ceramic, or titanium dish on a rig that you heat to vaporize the dab.
Nail
An older banger-equivalent — a post or dome-shaped heating element that does the same job.

Concentrate Types & Textures

Hash / Hashish
Compressed trichome resin — one of the oldest cannabis concentrates in the world.
Bubble hash (ice-water hash)
Hash made by agitating flower in ice water so the frozen trichomes break off and sink, then filtering them through fine mesh bags. The starting point for hash rosin.
Rosin
A solventless concentrate made with heat and pressure only. Full guide →
Live resin
A solvent-extracted concentrate made from fresh-frozen flower — big on terpenes and flavor.
Distillate
A highly refined oil that's nearly pure THC (or CBD), with terpenes stripped out. The base of most carts and edibles.
BHO (butane hash oil)
An umbrella term for concentrates extracted with butane (or propane) — shatter, wax, badder, sauce, and more.
Winterization
A processing step that uses cold alcohol to drop out fats and waxes from an extract, on the way to making distillate.
Shatter
A hard, glassy, translucent concentrate that snaps like brittle candy.
Wax
A soft, opaque, malleable concentrate.
Budder / Badder (batter)
A whipped, creamy, cake-batter texture — terpene-rich and easy to scoop.
Crumble
A dry, crumbly concentrate that breaks apart easily.
Sauce / Terp sauce
A wet, terpene-rich concentrate, often with crystals suspended in it.
Diamonds
Crystalline structures of nearly pure THCA — very potent, often sold "in sauce."
Sugar
A wet, granular concentrate that looks like damp sugar.
Nug run vs. trim run
A nug run uses whole cured buds — more potent and flavorful. A trim run uses leftover sugar-leaf trim — usually cheaper and less intense.

Quality & Concepts

Full-spectrum
A product that keeps the plant's full natural range of cannabinoids and terpenes together, rather than isolating one compound.
Entourage effect still researched
The theory that cannabinoids and terpenes work together synergistically. A popular, plausible idea — but the science is still developing, so treat it as a hypothesis, not a proven fact.
Terpene
An aromatic compound that shapes a strain's smell and flavor (and maybe more). Meet the main ten →
COA (Certificate of Analysis)
A third-party lab report verifying a product's potency and screening it for pesticides, heavy metals, residual solvents, and microbials. Every legal product has one — ask to see it.
Sungrown vs. Indoor vs. Greenhouse
Sungrown = outdoor, natural sunlight (cheaper, bigger yields). Indoor = fully climate-controlled (typically premium, denser, frostier buds). Greenhouse = a hybrid of natural light plus environmental controls.

Consumption

Microdose
Taking a very small amount (often around 1–2.5 mg THC) for subtle effects without strong intoxication.
Edible onset
Swallowed edibles typically take 30 minutes to 2 hours to kick in, because they're processed by the liver — and the effect lasts longer than smoking. The golden rule: start low, go slow, and wait before taking more — full breakdown in Edibles 101.
Sublingual
Held under the tongue for absorption through the mouth's tissues (about 30–90 seconds). Onset is faster than a swallowed edible — roughly 15–45 minutes.
Tolerance
The body's adjustment to regular use, where the same amount produces less effect over time. A "tolerance break" (T-break) is a pause to reset it.

Now put the vocabulary to work

You speak the language — come use it. Browse Sunflower's lab-tested, New York–sourced menu, or stop by 377 Metropolitan Ave and ask our budtenders anything.

Browse the Menu Back to the Smoker's Guide →

Go Deeper

🫠

How Rosin Is Made

The solventless concentrate, start to finish.
🧪

Rosin vs. Resin vs. Distillate

The simple rule behind four confusing words.
🍋

A Guide to Terpenes

The aroma oils that may matter more than the label.