kola
noun
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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.
Many in the community believed the black and white seeds of the kola tree could cure ailments and curses.
From BBC • Nov. 10, 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
As kola nuts, dates, ivory, salt, leather, enslaved people, and gold passed through the capital, traders and merchants prospered.
From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022
The chief examined us for a while, and when he caught my eye, I gave him half a smile, which he dismissed by spitting on the ground from the kola nut he chewed.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
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.
