kola
noun
kola
1 American
[koh-luh]
/ ˈkoʊ lə /
Kola
2
American
[koh-luh, kaw-luh]
/ ˈkoʊ lə, ˈkɔ lə /
noun
kola
British
/ ˈkəʊlə /
noun
Etymology
Origin of kola
First recorded in 1820–40; from Malinke kolo, or Temne kola
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.
See Examples For:
Many local people believed the black and white seeds of the kola tree could cure ailments and curses.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2023
The “cola” in Coca-Cola is actually the kola nut, the seed of the West African tropical evergreen tree Cola acuminata, which looks like a chestnut kissed by someone wearing Barbie-pink lipstick.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 9, 2023
Made from kola nuts and coca leaves, the drink was advertised as an "ideal brain tonic" in the late 19th century.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2023
Gold remained the primary good transported along the trans- Saharan trade routes, but enslaved captives and kola nuts were also exported.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022
“You must take the last piece of kola nut with you,” Nnaemeka’s father said.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
As Nigerian author Kola Folayan noted, “it was America and not Tripoli that failed to honor its international commitment.”
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
“We have thousands of problems and that is the reason why they are in the street. What happened in Zvernec was just the tipping point”, 46-year-old tour guide Arben Kola told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
Russia is militarily dominant there, with nuclear-submarine forces, missile bases, airfields and ports on the Kola Peninsula.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 27, 2025
More than 250 have been targeted in one small section of the Kola Municipal Cemetery alone.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2025
They chose a spot on Russia’s Kola Peninsula, near the Finnish border, and set to work with the hope of drilling to a depth of fifteen kilometers.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
