A curved, kidney-shaped nut that grows on the outside of a fruit and is eaten roasted or used in cooking.
From Portuguese 'caju', from a word in the Tupian languages of Brazil, probably 'acajú'. The nut and its name traveled from South America through Portuguese trade.
The cashew nut actually grows outside its own fruit, like a little hook on the bottom, which is the opposite of what most people imagine. Its name is a borrowed echo of Indigenous Brazilian languages, carried around the world by traders.
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