coffee tree

American

noun

any tree, as Coffea arabica, yielding coffee beans.
Kentucky coffee tree.

coffee tree British

noun

any of several rubiaceous trees of the genus Coffea, esp C. arabica, the seeds of which are used in the preparation of the beverage coffee
short for Kentucky coffee tree

"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

Etymology

Origin of coffee tree

First recorded in 1735–45

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A coffee tree is a huge investment for cash-strapped farmers, as it can take four years for the fruits to mature.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2024

Gorongosa Park's sustainable development department has been studying coffee tree varieties from around the world that are resistant to pests, disease, drought and prolonged rainy seasons.

From Reuters • Nov. 7, 2022

When a farmer plants a coffee tree, it takes several years for it to make money.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 2, 2021

Over the last six years Vásquez, 46, has seen her crop devastated by disease — a coffee tree fungus that has ravaged parts of Latin America.

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2019

A hoopoe called from a Kenya coffee tree and was answered by another.

From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023