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cashew

 
Dictionary: cash·ew   (kăsh'ū, kə-shū') pronunciation
n.
  1. A tropical American evergreen tree (Anacardium occidentale) widely cultivated for its edible nutlike kernels.
  2. The kidney-shaped seed of this tree, eaten after roasting.

[Probably Portuguese acajú, from Tupi, from cajú, yellow fruit, acidic.]


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Cashew apples (hypocarp) and nuts of the domesticated cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale).
(click to enlarge)
Cashew apples (hypocarp) and nuts of the domesticated cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale). (credit: W.H. Hodge)
Edible seed or nut of Anacardium occidentale, a tropical and subtropical evergreen shrub or tree in the sumac family, native to tropical Central and South America. Important chiefly for its nuts, the tree also produces wood used for shipping crates, boats, and charcoal, and a gum similar to gum arabic. Related to poison ivy and poison sumac, it must be handled with care. The two-shelled nut is shaped like a large, thick bean. A brown oil between the two shells blisters human skin and is used as a lubricant and an insecticide and in the production of plastics. The nut is rich and distinctively flavoured.

For more information on cashew, visit Britannica.com.

 
cashew (kăsh'ū, kəshū'), tropical American tree (Anacardium occidentale) of the family Anacardiaceae (sumac family), valued chiefly for the cashew nut of commerce. The tree's acrid sap is used in making a varnish that protects woodwork and books from insects. The fruit is kidney-shaped, about an inch in length, and has a double shell. The kernel, which is sweet, oily, and nutritious, is much used for food in the tropics after being roasted to destroy the caustic juice. It yields a light-colored oil said to be the equal of olive oil and is utilized in various culinary ways. In the West Indies it is used to flavor wine, particularly Madeira, and is imported into Great Britain for this purpose. The nut grows on the end of a fleshy, pear-shaped stalk, called the cashew apple, which is white, yellow, or red, juicy and slightly acid, and is eaten or fermented to make wine. Cashews are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Sapindales, family Anacardiaceae.


Word Tutor: cashew
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: n. - Kidney-shaped nut edible only when roasted; Tropical American evergreen tree bearing kidney-shaped nuts that are edible only when roasted.

Tutor's tip: That "cachou" (a pastille to sweeten the breath) had a taste like a "cashew" (a nut from a tropical tree).

Translations: Cashew
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - elefantlustræ, acajoutræ, acajounød, anacardienød

Nederlands (Dutch)
cashewnoot, olifantsluisboom

Français (French)
n. - noix de cajou

Deutsch (German)
n. - Cashewnuß

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (φυτολ.) ακαζού

Italiano (Italian)
noce di acagiù, anacardio

Português (Portuguese)
n. - caju (m) (Bot.), cajueiro (m) (Bot.), castanha-de-caju (f) (Bot.)

Русский (Russian)
орех кешью

Español (Spanish)
n. - anacardo, nuez de cajú

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - acajouträd, cashewnöt

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
腰果树, 腰果

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 腰果樹, 腰果

한국어 (Korean)
n. - (식물) 캐슈

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - カシュー, カシューナッツ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) نوع من الجوز‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮קשיו (אגוז)‬


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cashew nut
anacardium
acajou

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more
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