'bacaba' originates from Portuguese, specifically the word 'bacaba', ultimately from a Tupi or Tupi–Guarani source (often cited as 'bakaba') where the root referred to the palm or its fruit.

'bacaba' was borrowed into Portuguese from indigenous Tupi languages during the colonial period and later entered English usage through 19th-century botanical and ethnographic accounts as 'bacaba'.

Initially, it referred in the indigenous language to the palm tree and/or its fruit; this basic meaning has been retained in Portuguese and English botanical use.