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Glite Dictionary
cola nut

cola nut

6.7
A bitter brown seed from a West African tree that contains caffeine and is used to flavor drinks
  • noun
  • /ˈkoʊlə nʌt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : nuez de cola
  • In Africa, cola nut is chewed locally as a stimulant.
  • caffeine and cola nut

Examples

  • The five stimulants investigated in this study were amphetamine, caffeine, cocaine, cola nuts, and tobacco.

    Academic text (2007)

  • As compensation for this service, Batata Mutombo gave him a cock, a bottle of palm wine, and some cola nuts.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Table 2 reveals that undergraduates mostly use caffeine and cola nut, while amphetamine was the least encountered.

    Academic text (2007)

  • The engagement party (woorotila) celebrated the previous exchange of cola nuts signifying the two families' agreement on future marriage negotiations.

    Academic text (1994)

  • He took one cola nut, chewed it, and blew the mixture successively on the gastric region, the back, the left and right shoulder, and the forehead of the figurine.

    Academic text (2004)

  • In many West African cultures, the cola nut is chewed for its stimulating effects during social gatherings.

  • The indigenous use of the cola nut dates back centuries, serving as a source of caffeine in traditional medicine.

  • Some soft drinks are flavored with cola nuts, giving them a unique taste that differentiates them from other sodas.

Synonyms

kola nut
vscola nut
7.1

A bitter brown seed from a West African tree used to help people feel more awake and flavor cola

serves mainly as the source of extract for flavoring drinks

How Caffeinated

guarana
7.9
coffee bean
12 1.0
cola nut
  • Specialized
6.7
cocoa bean
4 2.3
tea leaf
1.0

Surface Forms

cola nut singular
cola nuts plural

Morphology

Cola + nut

The noun is compositionally built from 'cola' (kola tree/plant producing kola nuts) + 'nut' (a hard-shelled seed), so the meaning 'the nut/seed of the cola/kola tree' is directly derivable from the parts. Although English speakers may also know 'cola' as a soft drink, the botanical sense combined with 'nut' makes the referent transparent to a learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Cola nut is the bitter seed from a West African tree that people chewed as a natural stimulant to help them stay awake. Early soft drink makers used extract from the cola nut to add flavor and a mild stimulant, so many drinks were named 'cola' after the nut and the word now points to the modern drink.