coca

noun

co·​ca ˈkō-kə 

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

Examples of coca in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Bags of coca leaves—a sacred plant in Andean culture—are passed around in the strengthening sun. —David Nolan, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 July 2025

These include cash transfers to youth to stay out of gangs, or a new coca crop substitution program that pays farmers to stop growing illicit crops. —Mie Hoejris Dahl, Christian Science Monitor, 10 June 2025

Welcome to the new Bolivia, where former coca grower Evo Morales has made the leaf a symbol of his two-year-old government. —Olivia James, Outside Online, 24 Apr. 2025

Most exciting of all, a coca pouch the size of a wallet was sewn onto the primary cord. —Sam Kean, The Atlantic, 26 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from Quechua kuka

First Known Use

1670, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for coca

• boca
• bocca
• broca
• cloaca
• loca
• phoca
• tapioca

Kids Definition

coca

noun

co·​ca ˈkō-kə 

: a South American shrub with leaves that are the source of cocaine

also : its dried leaves

Medical Definition

coca

noun

co·​ca ˈkō-kə 

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