acai

noun

ˌä-ˌsä-ˈē 

-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

The morning menu of crepes, salmon on buckwheat blinis, super smoothies, and acai bowls flips to French-Austrian bistro classics later on, including crispy artichoke, coq au vin with spaetzle, and a showpiece bouillabaisse—plus desserts such as a baked apple and a baba with orange sorbet. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026

For non-coffee drinks, the dragon fruit and strawberry acai refreshers are two of their best sellers. —Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026

Floating vendors drift by on busy days selling acai bowls, Italian ice, and more. —Heema Patel, Travel + Leisure, 4 Jan. 2026

Open to the public as well as guests, the dinner menu is heavy on fresh seafood and pastas, and the breakfast menu has dishes ranging from acai bowls to loaded pancakes. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 30 Nov. 2025

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