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Definition of "coca" [co•ca]

  • Any of certain Andean evergreen shrubs or small trees of the genus Erythroxylum, especially E. coca, whose leaves contain cocaine and other alkaloids. (noun)
  • The dried leaves of such a plant, chewed by people of the Andes for a stimulating effect and also used for extraction of cocaine and other alkaloids. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "coca" in a sentence
  • "The coca (_Erythroxylon coca_, Lam.) is a shrub about six feet in height, with bright green leaves and white blossoms."
  • "Too bad it was $100 in coca cola stock or something."
  • "The third was known as Bolivian, but it referred to coca found along the eastern slope of the Andes in both that country and Peru."