acai

noun

ˌä-ˌsä-ˈē How to pronounce acai (audio)
-sī-ˈē
variants or less commonly açai
1
a
or acai berry or less commonly açai berry : a small, dark purple, berrylike fruit with a juicy pulp that is often used in beverages or eaten raw and that is produced by a tall, slender palm (Euterpe oleracea) native to tropical rainforests of Central and South America

Note: Acai is a single-seeded drupe that grows in large clusters. In the Brazilian Amazon [Rainforest], acai makes up an important part of the local diet and is often prepared as a mash with cassava pulp.

b
or acai palm or less commonly açai palm : the palm (Euterpe oleracea) that produces acai berries
2
: a beverage made from the juice of the acai berry
Rio de Janeiro is the city that worships health and beauty and where the healthy and the beautiful drink acai.Alex Bellosz

Examples of acai in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Breakfast at Citronelle—think creamy avocado on toast and nutritious acai bowls—is largely à la carte to avoid the extreme buffet food waste many islands produce. Kate Lloyd, Vogue, 16 Mar. 2024 Prepared foods included tamales, acai bowls and dumplings. Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 The restaurant serves acai bowls, smoothies, fresh juices and pastries. The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024 Beyond the sweets, there are breakfast items such as bacon, egg, and cheese on an unglazed doughnut, breakfast tacos and acai bowls. The Indianapolis Star, 16 Jan. 2024 The 1,631 square-foot shop will sell fresh juices, acai bowls, smoothies, salads, and paninis, Palladio at Broadstone wrote in a news release. Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 16 Feb. 2024 The project aims to reduce logging by local families and to incentivize other economic projects with less environmental impact like growing coconuts, acai and cacao, according to project documents. Evan Bush, NBC News, 29 Nov. 2023 Small children are climbing 60-foot trees to harvest your acai One child, investigators found, was paralyzed from the waist down in a fall from a tree. Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2023 For breakfast, spinach pie or acai in Astoria Start your day in Astoria by hitting up the Mediterranean bakery Artion, a wonderland of both sweet and savory treats. Caroline Shin, Bon Appétit, 13 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'acai.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Brazilian Portuguese assaí, uaçaí, açaí, the palm Euterpe oleracea, borrowed from Tupi *ɨβasaí, from ɨβá "plant, fruit" + an element of uncertain meaning

First Known Use

circa 1861, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of acai was circa 1861

Dictionary Entries Near acai

Cite this Entry

“Acai.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acai. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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