areca
|a-re-ca|
/əˈrɛkə/
betel-nut palm / nut
Etymology
'areca' originates from Portuguese, specifically the word 'areca', where it was borrowed from Malayalam 'aṭika' meaning 'areca nut'.
'areca' changed from Malayalam 'aṭika' (or related Dravidian forms) into Malay/Portuguese forms such as 'areka'/'areca' and eventually entered English as 'areca' in the 17th century.
Initially, it meant 'the areca nut or the areca palm' in the source languages, and over time it has retained that core meaning in English.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a tropical palm (genus Areca) whose seed is the areca (betel) nut; the palm tree itself.
The areca is commonly grown in coastal tropical areas.
Synonyms
Noun 2
the seed or nut of the areca palm, commonly called the areca nut or betel nut, chewed in some cultures.
They chewed the areca with betel leaf as part of a traditional custom.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/10 11:22