Kola Tree
/ˈkoʊ.lə triː/noun
A tropical African tree of the genus Cola, valued for its caffeine-rich kola nuts.
Did you know?Kola nuts were traditionally chewed in parts of West Africa during ceremonies and offered to guests, while their caffeine later helped inspire early cola beverages.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*deru-
“Firm, solid, and enduring; the root ancestral to the English word tree and several words for steadfastness.”
Old English
Old English
trēow
“Tree; also a piece of wood, and figuratively faithfulness or truth.”
16th–17th Century
West African languages / Portuguese
kola / cola
“A name for the kola nut and its tree, borrowed into European languages through contact with West Africa; the exact immediate African source is debated.”
18th Century
English
kola
“The caffeine-bearing nut or the tree producing it, increasingly recorded in English botanical and travel writing.”
Modern English
English
kola tree
“The tropical Cola tree, especially Cola acuminata or Cola nitida, cultivated for its edible, caffeinated seeds.”