chonta
9.9
A tall palm tree from South America with very hard wood that people use for tools
- noun
:
chonta
- The chonta palm tree thrives in the humid climate of the Amazon rainforest.
Examples
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In traditional weaving, artisans often incorporate chonta fibers for added strength.
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I sit down on the chonta palm floor with her and join in peeling plantains.
Academic text (1996) -
After a bit of polite conversation, I ask, "Have you those bottles for me?" I see the bottles lying on the chonta palm floor, on a banana leaf, preservative still sealed inside but empty of specimens.
Academic text (1996) -
The craftsmen use chonta wood to make sturdy tools and beautiful crafts.
How Hard
Surface Forms
Etymology
Chonta comes from Indigenous languages of South America and from Spanish, where people used the word for a native palm with very hard 'wood'. Because villagers used the whole palm for canoes, tools and construction, chonta today means the palm tree itself.