: 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.
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So far, the Ioniq 9 cannot brew a Starbucks coffee at your command, which is a pity, but one never knows what the future brings.—Kristin Shaw, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025 Fat-burning foods include options like fatty fish, coffee, lean meats, green tea, ginger, chili peppers, and more.—Jamie Johnson, Verywell Health, 22 May 2025 McMillon said tariffs on countries including Costa Rica, Peru, and Colombia could affect the price of some perishable items sold at Walmart, including bananas, avocados, coffee, and roses.—Rachel Barber, USA Today, 22 May 2025 Starbucks : The coffee chain’s turnaround is progressing under CEO Brian Niccol.—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for coffee
Word History
Etymology
Italian & Turkish; Italian caffè, from Turkish kahve, from Arabic qahwa
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