Cajou
/kəˈdʒuː/noun
A cashew tree or its kidney-shaped nut.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Tupi, an Indigenous language of coastal Brazil, though the precise internal meaning of the Tupi form is uncertain.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-16th Century
Tupi
aka'yú
“The Indigenous Tupi name for the cashew tree or fruit; the word’s internal components are uncertain.”
16th Century
Portuguese
caju
“Cashew; borrowed from a Tupi language of Brazil.”
16th–17th Century
French
cajou
“Cashew; adopted from Portuguese caju.”
17th Century
English
cajou
“A cashew tree or nut, used as a variant borrowing.”
Modern English
English
cajou
“A less common word for cashew, especially in historical or botanical contexts.”