A variant spelling of annatto; the natural red-orange dye obtained from tropical plant seeds.
Alternate spelling of annatto from European variants of the Spanish/Portuguese 'achiote,' from Tupi origin; regional spelling variation from colonial trade period.
The multiple spellings of this dye (annatto, arnatto, arnotta, achiote) show how it traveled—traders from different countries spelled it phonetically in their own languages, which is why modern dictionaries have to list so many versions!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.