Kentucky coffee tree

American  

noun

1. a tall North American tree, Gymnocladus dioica, of the legume family, the seeds of which Kentucky coffee beans were formerly used as a substitute for coffee beans.

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Kentucky coffee tree British  

noun

1. a North American leguminous tree, Gymnocladus dioica, whose seeds, in brown curved pulpy pods, were formerly used as a coffee substitute

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Etymology

Origin of Kentucky coffee tree

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

The inventory also includes such underused but lovely native trees as the scarlet and overcup oaks, the Kentucky coffee tree and the American hornbeam and hophornbeam.

From Washington Post • Dec. 18, 2017

The Kentucky coffee tree is the one clumsy, coarse member of a family that abounds in graceful, dainty species.

From Trees Worth Knowing by Rogers, Julia Ellen