acai

noun \ ˌä-ˌsä-ˈē , -sī-ˈē \

variants: or less commonly açai

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of acai

1 a or acai 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 rain forests of Central and South America

b : 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

Recent Examples of acai from the Web

Create Your Nature Colorful acai bowls, hearty oatmeal, and more put this Winter Park cafe on the map — our readers named it their favorite vegetarian/vegan restaurant in the Orlando Sentinel Foodie Awards this year.

— lauren delgado, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orlando Pride star Alex Morgan's favorite Orlando vegan eats," 9 Apr. 2018
Tomorrow’s might include beef bourguignon with acai or lamb stew with Israeli couscous.

— Bloomberg.com, "From Ceviche to Bechamel: How Brazil's Smallest Airline Competes," 28 Feb. 2018
Think tartare prepared with young coconut meat; a plantain relleno stuffed hugging black beans, avocado and pico de gallo; and raw, vegan soft-serve ice cream – chocolate, vanilla and acai flavors -- made with dates and coconut.

— liz biro, Indianapolis Star, "A vegan cafe is coming to The Yard in Fishers," 4 Jan. 2018
It is known for its chicken pesto torta, paninis, wraps and acai bowls.

— pam kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "5 local restaurants make Yelp's top 100 list," 21 Feb. 2018
Local-style cafe has delicious acai and pitaya bowls, fresh fruit smoothies, salads, fresh fish, sandwiches and wraps.

— jill k. robinson, San Francisco Chronicle, "Stars and waves guide navigation the ancient Polynesian way," 8 Feb. 2018
Practice Gratuitous Wellness Core Belief No problem in life can't be solved through meditation or, in trying times, a fresh bowl of acai.

— benjy hansen-bundy, GQ, "How To Be Better Than Everyone Else In 2018," 7 Feb. 2018
The venue at the Hyatt Centric South Beach Miami Hotel tells us the beverage is made with turmeric, ginger, pineapple, red bell pepper, black pepper and apple; the Acai Club is a bowl of acai mixed with raspberry, avocado, banana and almond milk.

— madeleine marr, miamiherald, "While David Beckham soaked up the love in Miami, his son got some of his own," 31 Jan. 2018
The iced beverage blends Strawberry Acai Refreshers with passion fruit, acai and coconut milk to make a treat for the warmer seasons.

— zoë weiner, Teen Vogue, "Starbucks Releases Millennial Pink Latte in Japan," 29 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'acai.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of acai

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1868

in the meaning defined at sense 1b

See Words from the same year