koa

[ koh-uh ]

/ ˈkoʊ ə /

noun

a Hawaiian acacia, Acacia koa, of the legume family, characterized by spreading branches and gray bark.

the hard, red or golden-brown wood of this tree, used for making furniture.

Nearby words

knurly, knussen, knut, knäckebröd, ko, koa, koala, koan, koap, kob, kobarid

Origin of koa

Borrowed into English from Hawaiian around 1840–50

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for koa

Mommyish editor-in-chief Koa Beck wrote an open letter encouraging the ex-sorority sister to apply for their paid internship.
Rebecca Martinson, the Viral Sorority Girl Letter Writer: How to Go From Unknown to Infamous in 60 Seconds|Tricia Romano|April 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They would cover perhaps three-fourths of that distance before Koa fired the charge.
Rip Foster in Ride the Gray Planet|Harold Leland Goodwin
Rip divided the Planeteers into two squads, one under his direction and one under Koa's.
Rip Foster in Ride the Gray Planet|Harold Leland Goodwin
He was hurrying toward them before Koa understood what he was saying.
Rip Foster in Ride the Gray Planet|Harold Leland Goodwin

He had Koa stand by with stylus and computation board and take down his figures.
Rip Foster in Ride the Gray Planet|Harold Leland Goodwin
Santos took the radiation detection instruments and the case with the astrogation equipment from Koa.
Rip Foster in Ride the Gray Planet|Harold Leland Goodwin

British Dictionary definitions for koa

koa

/ (ˈkəʊə) /

noun

a Hawaiian leguminous tree, Acacia koa, yielding a hard wood

the reddish wood of this tree, used esp for furniture

Word Origin for koa

C19: from Hawaiian

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