variants
or less commonly cola nut
: the bitter caffeine-containing chestnut-sized seed of a kola tree used especially as a masticatory and in beverages
Examples of kola nut in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Before dinner, the bride’s oldest uncle blessed a kola nut, an Igbo tradition symbolizing unity, among other meanings.
—
Alix Wall, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2025
Caffeine is a naturally occurring substance in coffee beans, tea leaves, cacao pods, and kola nuts (a fruit).
—Ann Pietrangelo, Verywell Health, 16 Oct. 2024
Crops native to Africa, such as watermelon, okra, yams, black-eyed peas, kola nuts (the basis for Coca-Cola), hibiscus, sesame, muskmelons (like cantaloupe and honeydew), and most significantly, African rice, were transported on ships with enslaved Africans during the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
—Rosalind Cummings-Yeates, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 June 2024
The second is a rum alternative flavored with kola nut and vanilla.
—Scott Hocker, theweek, 14 Jan. 2024
West Africans were chewing the caffeine-containing kola nut as a stimulant long before the Coca-Cola Company enticed Americans to drink its extracts.
—Jared Diamond, Discover Magazine, 17 Apr. 2023
The ceremony also incorporated other Nigerian wedding traditions including the presentation of the kola nut, a prayer of thanks to the lineage and people who came before the couple, and the blessing of the newlyweds by their parents.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 27 Nov. 2023
Some of them, including African rice, have remained virtually confined there; others, such as African yams, eventually spread throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa; and two, the oil palm and the kola nut, spread to other continents.
—Jared Diamond, Discover Magazine, 17 Apr. 2023
Red drinks and food are key parts of the holiday—the importance of the color red for Juneteenth is linked to the West African plants hibiscus and kola nut.
—Klancy Miller, Vogue, 16 June 2023
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Alix Wall, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2025
Caffeine is a naturally occurring substance in coffee beans, tea leaves, cacao pods, and kola nuts (a fruit).
—Ann Pietrangelo, Verywell Health, 16 Oct. 2024
Crops native to Africa, such as watermelon, okra, yams, black-eyed peas, kola nuts (the basis for Coca-Cola), hibiscus, sesame, muskmelons (like cantaloupe and honeydew), and most significantly, African rice, were transported on ships with enslaved Africans during the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
—Rosalind Cummings-Yeates, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 June 2024
The second is a rum alternative flavored with kola nut and vanilla.
—Scott Hocker, theweek, 14 Jan. 2024
West Africans were chewing the caffeine-containing kola nut as a stimulant long before the Coca-Cola Company enticed Americans to drink its extracts.
—Jared Diamond, Discover Magazine, 17 Apr. 2023
The ceremony also incorporated other Nigerian wedding traditions including the presentation of the kola nut, a prayer of thanks to the lineage and people who came before the couple, and the blessing of the newlyweds by their parents.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 27 Nov. 2023
Some of them, including African rice, have remained virtually confined there; others, such as African yams, eventually spread throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa; and two, the oil palm and the kola nut, spread to other continents.
—Jared Diamond, Discover Magazine, 17 Apr. 2023
Red drinks and food are key parts of the holiday—the importance of the color red for Juneteenth is linked to the West African plants hibiscus and kola nut.
—Klancy Miller, Vogue, 16 June 2023
Cite this Entry
“Kola nut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kola%20nut. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
kola nut
noun
ko·la nut
ˈkō-lə- 
: the bitter seed of an African tree containing much caffeine and used in beverages and medicine for its stimulating effect
Medical Definition
kola nut
noun
ko·la nut
variants
also cola nut
: the bitter caffeine-containing chestnut-sized seed of a kola tree used especially as a masticatory and in beverages
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