Chaya
/ˈtʃaɪ.ə/noun
A tropical shrub whose cooked leaves are eaten as a vegetable, especially in Mexico and Central America.
Did you know?Chaya leaves contain potentially toxic cyanogenic compounds when raw, so traditional preparation calls for thorough cooking rather than eating them uncooked.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian period
Mayan languages
chay
“A proposed Indigenous Mesoamerican source associated with the chaya plant; the precise etymology is uncertain.”
Colonial period
Spanish
chaya
“The name used for the edible shrub in Spanish-speaking Mesoamerica.”
19th–20th Century
Botanical Latin
Cnidoscolus aconitifolius
“The scientific name assigned to the plant commonly called chaya.”
Modern English
English
chaya
“A cultivated tropical shrub, also called tree spinach, whose leaves are eaten cooked.”