coca

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun a South American shrub whose leaves are chewed by natives of the Andes; a source of cocaine
noun United States comedienne who starred in early television shows with Sid Caesar (1908-2001)
noun dried leaves of the coca plant (and related plants that also contain cocaine); chewed by Andean people for their stimulating effect

Borrowed from Spanish coca, from Quechua kuka, perhaps from Aymara.

=coca=, f., the dried leaves of coca, coca. — The Spanish American Reader, Ernesto Nelson
Cultivated coca is sown when the rains begin. — The North-West Amazons: Notes of some months spent among cannibal tribes, Thomas Whiffen
Coffee, cacao, and coca are the principal cultivated products. — Commercial Geography: A Book for High Schools, Commercial Courses, and Business Colleges, Jacques W. (Jacques Wardlaw) Redway

Erythroxylon coca, coca plant

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