Definition of coca
1 : any of several South American shrubs (genus Erythroxylon, family Erythroxylaceae); especially : one (E. coca) that is the primary source of cocaine
2 : dried leaves of a coca (especially Erythroxylon coca) containing alkaloids including cocaine
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Recent Examples of coca from the Web
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However the agreement has also provided a perverse incentive for farmers to grow coca.
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Guerrillas and paramilitaries overtook swaths of ancestral territories for battlefields, coca crops and cocaine labs.
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Special tribunals are to be established to settle war-crimes cases, and farmers are to be given incentives to stop growing coca leaf.
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The area, known as Catatumbo, is rife with coca fields, contraband routes and several armed groups.
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Colombian anti-narcotic police used a helicopter to scatter leaflets over a town asking for tips on the locations of coca labs, information on leaders of Colombia’s largest crime gang and help in finding criminals who have killed police officers.
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In 2016 alone, coca crops here swelled by 20 percent, according to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
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Authorities have set a goal of destroying 100,000 hectares of coca crops this year through a combination of manual eradication and voluntary crop substitution agreements with farmers.
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Producing more cocaine Cocaine production has surged since October of 2015 when the Colombian government stopped aerial spraying of herbicides over coca fields used to make cocaine, Miller said.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'coca.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of coca
Spanish, from Quechua kuka
Medical Dictionary
coca
playMedical Definition of coca
1: any of several South American shrubs (genus Erythroxylon of the family Erythroxylaceae); especially : one (E. coca) that is the primary source of cocaine
2: dried leaves of a coca (as Erythroxylon coca) containing alkaloids including cocaine
Learn More about coca
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See words that rhyme with coca Spanish Central: Translation of coca Nglish: Translation of coca for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about coca
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