coca

¹ American  

[koh-kuh] / ˈkoʊ kə /

noun

1. a shrub, Erythroxylon coca, native to the Andes, having simple, alternate leaves and small yellowish flowers.

2. the dried leaves of this shrub, which are chewed for their stimulant properties and which yield cocaine and other alkaloids.

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Coca ² American  

[koh-kuh] / ˈkoʊ kə /

noun

1. Imogene, 1908–2001, U.S. comic actress.

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coca British  

/ ˈkəʊkə /

noun

1. either of two shrubs, Erythroxylon coca or E. truxiuense, native to the Andes: family Erythroxylaceae

2. the dried leaves of these shrubs and related plants, which contain cocaine and are chewed by the peoples of the Andes for their stimulating effects

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Etymology

Origin of coca

First recorded in 1610–20; from Spanish, from Quechua kuka

Example Sentences

Colombia will also restart fumigation to destroy coca crops, a practice halted since 2015 and strongly opposed by Petro as a senator.

From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026

And Jose Abril, a farmer who has grown coca but fled amid the violence, said the state failed to make the sustained investments to persuade farmers to switch crops.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026

He said negotiations were ongoing in southern Colombia, "where the greatest reduction in coca leaf cultivation has occurred" and "where the homicide rate in Colombia has fallen the most."

From BBC • Jan. 9, 2026

There are a number of legends of how coca was discovered.

From Salon • Mar. 9, 2025

In the Montañas of Urubamba, Calca, and Paucartambo, the coca leaves are put into small baskets called cestos, and covered with sand.

From Travels in Peru, on the Coast, in the Sierra, Across the Cordilleras and the Andes, into the Primeval Forests by Ross, Thomasina