areca

[ uh-ree-kuh, ar-i- ]
/ əˈri kə, ˈær ɪ- /

noun

any tropical Asian palm of the genus Areca, as the betel palm.

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Origin of areca

First recorded in 1500–10; from New Latin (earlier English spellings reflect Portuguese or French ); all ultimately from Malayalam aṭaykka

Words nearby areca

area rug, area study, area vasculosa, area vitellina, areaway, areca, Arecibo, Arecibo Observatory, arecoline, areflexia, areg
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for areca

British Dictionary definitions for areca

areca
/ (ˈærɪkə, əˈriːkə) /

noun

any of various tall palms of the genus Areca, which are native to SE Asia and have white flowers and orange or red egg-shaped nuts

Word Origin for areca

C16: from Portuguese, from Malayalam adekka
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012