Kuki

/ˈkʊki/ noun

Definition

A large Asian tree with edible seeds, or a tree-dwelling Southeast Asian primate; also spelled 'couki.'

Etymology

From Sanskrit 'kukshi' or similar roots in Southeast Asian languages referring to the tree; introduced to English colonial vocabulary in the 1700s-1800s.

Kelly Says

The kuki tree was sacred in many Southeast Asian cultures long before it became known to Western science—indigenous peoples understood its ecology thousands of years before botanists named it.

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