coontie

noun

coon·​tie ˈkün-tē 

: any of several tropical American woody cycads (genus Zamia) whose roots and stems yield a starchy foodstuff

called also arrowroot

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

An infamous example is the arrowroot starch derived from the native coontie, later banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. —Kenneth Setzer, miamiherald, 14 June 2018

Atala butterflies use a similar strategy based on their coontie consumption. —Kenneth Setzer, miamiherald, 14 June 2018

Sago palms, also known as cycads, cardboard palms, fern palms and coontie plants, hail from tropical and subtropical areas but have become popular ornamental plants in the United States in the past 10 to 20 years. —Kim Campbell Thornton, sacbee, 14 Mar. 2018

Zebra longwing and Julia butterflies flutter about as red and yellow Atala caterpillars munch on coonties, and bees enjoy the ever-changing flowers in bloom. —Sun-Sentinel.com, 27 Sep. 2017

For these problem areas give Asiatic jasmine, coontie, mondo grass and wire vine a try. —Tom Maccubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, 1 June 2017

Word History

Etymology

Creek (Florida dialect) kontí·

First Known Use

1791, in the meaning defined above