shea tree

noun

1. an African tree, Butyrospermum parkii, of the sapodilla family, bearing a round, smooth-skinned fruit that contains one or more seeds yielding shea butter.

Word History and Origins

Origin of shea tree¹

First recorded in 1790–1800

Example Sentences

Chained by her ankle to a shea tree, her mother hovering nearby, she has two hollows in the earth which serve as her toilet and to hold drinking water.

From The Guardian

In her lab in England, Darja will be analysing shea tree leaves to uncover why the caterpillars like them so much.

From BBC

One of the world’s first moisturizers and a major ingredient of black soap, this butter is made from the seeds of the African shea tree.

From New York Times

On the day I visit, four others join her and her teenage granddaughter as the ripe nuts from the shea tree are spread out to remove the black rotten ones before the rest are washed.

From BBC

But then she met Danielle Grace Warren, who, at 25, was involved in a project to improve conditions and business prospects for the 600,000 women in Ghana who work in the global trade of cosmetics and cooking products made from the nut of the shea tree.

From New York Times