cashew

[kash-oo, kuh-shoo]

noun

1. a tree, Anacardium occidentale, native to tropical America, having milky juice, simple, leathery leaves, and yellowish-pink flowers in open clusters.

2. Also called cashew nut. the small, kidney-shaped, edible nut of this tree.

cashew

/ kæˈʃuː, ˈkæʃuː /

noun

1. a tropical American anacardiaceous evergreen tree, Anacardium occidentale, bearing kidney-shaped nuts that protrude from a fleshy receptacle

2. Also called: cashew nut. the edible nut of this tree

Word History and Origins

Origin of cashew¹

1695–1705; < Portuguese cajú, aphetic variant of acajú < Tupi akaʾiu

Word History and Origins

Origin of cashew¹

C18: from Portuguese cajú, from Tupi acajú

Example Sentences

TJ’s Dark Chocolate Covered Cashews touts roasted cashews covered in a thin, caramel-like coating and a layer of rich dark chocolate.

From Salon

How did you land on the cashew cheese fries?

From Los Angeles Times

Tart cherries that pop when bitten, rich fontina, crunchy cashews.

From Salon

The price is at least 4,000% higher than the cost of buying the same weight of raw, unshelled cashews from a Ghanian farmer.

From BBC

The inside has a cashew mixture, which is savory, and on top is edible silver.

From Salon

When To Use

What does cashew mean?

A cashew is an evergreen tree native to the tropical areas of the Americas, as in I took a nap under the shady cashew. The kidney-shaped seed found in the fruit of this tree is also called a cashew, or a cashew nut, as in Chang makes a tasty stir-fry using chicken and cashews. Because most people aren’t botanists or tropical tree growers, you’ll see cashew usually used to mean the seeds rather than the tree. If both items are being discussed, you’ll see references to “cashew trees” and “cashew nuts.”Although they are often referred to as nuts, cashews are actually the seeds found inside of the cashew apples that grow on cashew trees.Example: Roland ate so many cashews as a snack that he didn’t want supper.