tonka bean

noun

ton·​ka bean ˈtäŋ-kə- 

: the coumarin-containing seed of any of several tropical American leguminous trees (genus Dipteryx, especially D. odorata) that is used in perfumes and as an artificial vanilla flavoring

also : a tree bearing tonka beans

Examples of tonka bean in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Tonka first gained international attention at the beginning of the nineteenth century, when German scientist Alfred Vogel isolated the coumarin compound from the tonka bean. —JSTOR Daily, 15 Nov. 2025

Key Notes: quince, pink pepper, incense, almond, rice paper, labdanum, tonka bean Celestial Object is tender, luminous, and quietly intimate. —Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2025

Another room, called the olfactory room, focuses on the brand’s key notes across juices, which include vanilla, bergamot, tonka bean, iris, rose and jasmine. —James Manso, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2025

Green notes of bergamot and patchouli keep things fresh, while a deeper, aromatic base of musk, incense, and tonka bean grounds the lighter side. —Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 8 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Dutch tonka(-boon) & Portuguese (fava-)tonca, perhaps of Cariban origin

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tonka bean

• acrolein
• adenine
• alkylene
• aniline
• anthracene
• aquiline
• asphaltene
• atlantean
• atrazine
• butadiene
• butylene
• caesarean

Medical Definition

tonka bean

noun

ton·​ka bean ˈtäŋ-kə- 

: the seed of any of several leguminous trees of the genus Dipteryx that contains coumarin and is used in perfumes and as a flavoring

also : a tree bearing tonka beans