Huaje
/ˈwa.xe/noun
A Mexican tree or shrub in the genus Leucaena, especially Leucaena esculenta, whose pods and seeds are eaten or used as food.
Did you know?Huaje is a loanword from Nahuatl, showing how Spanish in Mexico absorbed Indigenous plant names rather than replacing them.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian
Nahuatl
huāxin / huaxin
“A local edible tree and its pods/seeds”
16th Century
Spanish
huaje
“Borrowed into Mexican Spanish as the name of the tree and its edible pods”
Modern Spanish
Spanish
huaje
“A regional name for Leucaena species and their edible parts”
Modern English
English
huaje
“Occasionally used in English-language botanical or culinary contexts for the Mexican plant”