Coca
/ˈkoʊ.kə/noun
A tropical South American shrub whose leaves are chewed or processed for stimulant alkaloids, including cocaine.
Did you know?The English word coca comes from the Quechua name for the plant, but its global fame exploded only after 19th-century chemists isolated cocaine from the leaves.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian Andean
Quechua
kuka
“The coca plant and its leaves, used traditionally for chewing and ritual purposes”
16th Century
Spanish
coca
“The coca plant, borrowed from Indigenous Andean languages”
19th Century
French
coca
“The plant name used in scientific and colonial botanical writing”
19th Century
English
coca
“The South American shrub and its leaves, especially as a source of cocaine”
Modern English
English
coca
“A tropical shrub cultivated for its stimulant leaves”
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