Bacaba

/bɑːˈkɑːbə/ noun

Definition

A South American palm tree bearing edible nuts or fruits; a type of tropical palm species found in Brazil and the Amazon region.

Etymology

From Portuguese or Tupi (indigenous Brazilian language) origin, the word entered English through colonial trade and botanical texts documenting Amazonian plant species.

Kelly Says

Bacaba is one of thousands of plants with indigenous names that only survived in English because botanists and traders needed to name things! Most indigenous plant names completely disappeared when colonizers arrived.

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