Xocoyol
/ˌʃoʊ.kəˈjoʊl/noun
A Mexican plant of the genus Oxalis, traditionally used as a sour edible herb.
Did you know?Xocoyol comes from Nahuatl and is associated with Oxalis plants, whose sour taste comes largely from oxalic acid—a natural chemical also found in sorrel.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian period
Nahuatl
xocoyolli
“A sour plant or sour edible herb”
16th Century
Nahuatl
xocoyolli
“A plant name recorded in early descriptions of Indigenous Mexican flora”
16th–17th Century
Spanish
xocoyol
“The Mexican plant name adopted into Spanish usage”
19th–20th Century
English
xocoyol
“A name for an Oxalis or related sour herb of Mexico”
Modern English
English
xocoyol
“A Mexican sour plant, especially one identified with Oxalis species”