tonka bean en · NOUN
Etymology
Likely from Guyanese Creole English tonka, from a Tupian language, perhaps Kari'na tonka.
Meanings
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A black wrinkled seed of a neotropical legume tree of species Dipteryx odorata, used as a perfume and vanilla substitute due to its high coumarin content.
Like when she and Seema […] climb the tonka bean tree.
2022, Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, When We Were Birds, Hamish Hamilton, page 155:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| tonca bean | alternative | lexicographic | |
| tonga bean | alternative | lexicographic | |
| tonka beans | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| tonqua bean | alternative | lexicographic | |
| tonquin bean | alternative | lexicographic |
Translations (7)
fr tonka f tonca (seed of Dipteryx odorata) · tr tonka fasulyesi (seed of Dipteryx odorata) · es tonka (seed of Dipteryx odorata) · fr fève tonka (seed of Dipteryx odorata) · es haba tonca f haba tonka f tonca (seed of Dipteryx odorata) · fi tonkapapu (seed of Dipteryx odorata) · sv tonkaböna (seed of Dipteryx odorata)