: any of several tropical Asian palms (Areca or related genera)
especially: betel palm
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebGuests first enter the restaurant by way of a sandy path that snakes through a garden of fragrant copal, guayacán and areca trees.New York Times, 4 Aug. 2022 In the early 1990s, India produced under 250,000 tonnes of areca nuts, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 18 Jan. 2022 Their claims are, however, backed up by the National Health Commission, which has included areca nut in its recommended prescription for the pneumonia-like illness.Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2020 Betel quid and areca nuts -- which are often used in Southeast Asia for tooth cleaning -- stain the teeth and gums. Josefine Hirschfeld, CNN, 9 July 2019 His company, Prakritii, makes plates and bowls from the leaves of south India's areca palm trees.Fox News, 4 June 2018 His company, Prakritii, makes plates and bowls from the leaves of south India’s areca palm trees.Washington Post, 4 June 2018 His company, Prakritii, makes plates and bowls from the leaves of south India's areca palm trees.The Christian Science Monitor, 4 June 2018 Get our daily newsletter The journey from her home village of Chempanoda by bus was slow but beautiful, across fresh-flowing rivers, through groves of areca-nut and rubber trees and past wooded hills.The Economist, 31 May 2018 See More
Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from Portuguese, from Malayalam aṭaykka
First Known Use
1586, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
areca
noun
are·ca ə-ˈrē-kə ˈar-ə-kə
1
capitalized: a small genus of pinnate-leaved palms of tropical Asia having thick-rinded fruits and including the betel palm
2
: a palm of the genus Areca or of any of several related genera