grugru

[ groo-groo ]

noun

1. any of several spiny-trunked, tropical feather palms, as Acrocomia totai, of tropical America, having a swollen trunk with rings of blackish spines.
2. Also called grugru grub,. the larva of any of several South American billbugs, as Rhynchophorus cruentatus, that feeds on the pith of palm trees, sugarcane, etc., and is sometimes prized as food.

grugru

/ ˈɡruːɡruː /

noun

1. any of several tropical American palms, esp Acrocomia sclerocarpa, which has a spiny trunk and leaves and edible nuts
2. the large edible wormlike larva of a weevil, Rhynchophorus palmarum, that infests this palm

Word History and Origins

Origin of grugru¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; Latin American Spanish grugrú, from Carib

Word History and Origins

Origin of grugru¹

C18: from American Spanish (Puerto Rican dialect) grugrú, of Cariban origin