kola

¹ American  

[koh-luh] / ˈkoʊ lə /

noun

1. kola nut.

2. an extract prepared from the kola nut.

3. the tree producing it.

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Kola ² American  

[koh-luh, kaw-luh] / ˈkoʊ lə, ˈkɔ lə /

noun

1. Also called Kola Peninsula.  a peninsula in the NW Russian Federation in Europe, between the White and Barents seas.

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kola British  

/ ˈkəʊlə /

noun

1. a variant spelling of cola 1

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Etymology

Origin of kola

First recorded in 1820–40; from Malinke kolo, or Temne kola

Example Sentences

According to local lore, the tree grew in the spot where renowned priest Komfo Anokye spat a kola nut on the ground in the early 1700s.

From BBC • Nov. 10, 2023

The “cola” in Coca-Cola is actually the kola nut, the seed of the West African tropical evergreen tree Cola acuminata, which looks like a chestnut kissed by someone wearing Barbie-pink lipstick.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 9, 2023

Made from kola nuts and coca leaves, the drink was advertised as an "ideal brain tonic" in the late 19th century.

From Salon • Jul. 27, 2023

Gold remained the primary good transported along the trans- Saharan trade routes, but enslaved captives and kola nuts were also exported.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

The chief examined us for a while, and when he caught my eye, I gave him half a smile, which he dismissed by spitting on the ground from the kola nut he chewed.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah