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

The UN says Bolivia has 31,000 hectares of coca crops.

From Barron's

Some have even said the water looks like "coca cola".

From BBC

And in 2009, the new constitution even recognized “ancestral coca as cultural patrimony, a renewable natural resource of Bolivia’s biodiversity, and as a factor of social cohesion.”

From Salon

"It's no coincidence that the main attacks on environmentalists take place where there is coca," said Kevin Murakami, Director of the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs at the U.S embassy in Bogota.

From Reuters

Those include coca leaf treatments, celebrations to cleanse evil spirits, and rituals to venerate spirits that protect communities.

From National Geographic