: a beverage made by percolation, infusion, or decoction from the roasted and ground seeds of a coffee plant
b
: any of several Old World tropical plants (genus Coffea and especially C. arabica and C. canephora) of the madder family that are widely cultivated in warm regions for their seeds from which coffee is prepared
c
: coffee seeds especially roasted and often ground compare arabica, robusta
Coffee is made from the roasted and ground seeds, or beans, of the coffee plant, a tropical evergreen shrub. Two of the 25 or more species, Arabica and Robusta, supply most of the world's coffee. Arabica is grown in Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Indonesia; Robusta mainly in Africa. The shrub bears small white flowers with a jasmine-like fragrance. The fruit, which is red when mature, is called a cherry. The seed is called a bean. Coffee contains large amounts of caffeine, whose effects have always been an important element in the drink's popularity. Coffee-drinking dates from the 15th century in Arabia. It reached Europe by the 17th century and immediately became popular. Coffee is consumed by about one-third of the world's population.
Examples of coffee in a Sentence
I bought a pound of coffee.
Recent Examples on the WebBotanical ingredients — like lavender, jasmine, elderflower and rose — have blossomed in products like coffee, creamer and cookies.—Sonal Dutt, Peoplemag, 5 June 2024 For example, Peet’s Coffee on 20th and J streets recently offered a bag of roasted whole-bean coffee for $5.67.—Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 4 June 2024 But it is known that Starbucks makes some Kirkland coffee, while Duracell, Huggies’ parent Kimberly-Clark, and Ocean Spray also reportedly produce Kirkland items incognito.—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 4 June 2024 Panera Bread’s Unlimited Sip Club costs $14.99 a month and includes hot and iced coffees, teas and fountain drinks.—Fielding Buck, Orange County Register, 3 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for coffee
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coffee.' 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
Italian & Turkish; Italian caffè, from Turkish kahve, from Arabic qahwa
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