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kola nut

American  

noun

  1. a brownish seed, about the size of a chestnut, produced by a tropical tree belonging to the genus Cola, containing both caffeine and theobromine: its extract is used in soft drinks.


kola nut British  

noun

  1. a variant spelling of cola nut

"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 kola nut

First recorded in 1865–70

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:

Local people says the tree grew in the spot where renowned priest Komfo Anokye spat a kola nut on the ground in the early 1700s.

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

The Nigerian immigrant sits at the till shrouded in an anorak, chewing on a bitter kola nut.

From Reuters Apr. 10, 2019

Eight O’Clock Light Show, for example, mixes ginseng and kola nut, among other recruits, into a rum and yuzu combination designed to combat fatigue.

From Washington Post Mar. 28, 2017

His father kept asking Master to have some kola nut, palm wine, a stool to sit down, some water, and Master kept saying no, no, no.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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