Cashew — Lexography

Journey of meaning

4 forms

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The cashew journey, in text

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acajuba · Tupi
noun · Tupi
Reading: a-ka-YU-ba (Old Tupi, conventional)
The cashew tree.. The cashew tree.
No secure word-specific date — The inspected lexical evidence for acajuba does not supply a secure dated witness for this displayed stage; contextual history and the date of an object or practice are not substituted.
Tupi / eastern Brazil to Portuguese Atlantic contact corridor — Supported language, speech, community or contact-corridor region; not a precise lexical birthplace.
The entry gives Tupi acajuba as the name of the tree producing the cashew nut. cashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
Portuguese acajú is the reported intermediary between Tupi acajuba and French acajou. cashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
cashew: an inspected specialist, institutional or national-language source supports the displayed forms and the selected conventional readings; reconstructed or historical readings remain explicitly qualified. bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
cashew: the map point is a supported language, speech-community or documented contact-corridor reference, not a precise lexical birthplace. bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
cashew: lexical dates are retained only where the inspected record dates a form or sense; contextual object, cultural, institutional and biographical dates are not substituted for word chronology. bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
cashew: the route preserves competing analyses, qualified edges and semantic distinctions required by the inspected evidence. bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
cashew: adjacent relations are retained with their existing type and certainty unless the inspected evidence requires a qualified or parallel reading. bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
acajú · Portuguese
noun · Portuguese
Reading: a-ka-JU (Portuguese)
The cashew tree or nut.. The cashew tree or nut.
No secure word-specific date — The inspected lexical evidence for acajú does not supply a secure dated witness for this displayed stage; contextual history and the date of an object or practice are not substituted.
Tupi / eastern Brazil to Portuguese Atlantic contact corridor — Supported language, speech, community or contact-corridor region; not a precise lexical birthplace.
The entry gives Tupi acajuba as the name of the tree producing the cashew nut. cashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
Portuguese acajú is the reported intermediary between Tupi acajuba and French acajou. cashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
French acajou is the source of the shortened English form. cashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
cashew: an inspected specialist, institutional or national-language source supports the displayed forms and the selected conventional readings; reconstructed or historical readings remain explicitly qualified. bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
cashew: the map point is a supported language, speech-community or documented contact-corridor reference, not a precise lexical birthplace. bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
cashew: lexical dates are retained only where the inspected record dates a form or sense; contextual object, cultural, institutional and biographical dates are not substituted for word chronology. bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
cashew: the route preserves competing analyses, qualified edges and semantic distinctions required by the inspected evidence. bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
cashew: adjacent relations are retained with their existing type and certainty unless the inspected evidence requires a qualified or parallel reading. bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
acajou · French
noun · French
Reading: a-ka-ZHU (French)
The cashew tree or nut.. The cashew tree or nut.
c. 1703 · French acajou / English shortening context — Reported first-use context; not necessarily the date of coinage or transmission.
Tupi / eastern Brazil to Portuguese Atlantic contact corridor — Supported language, speech, community or contact-corridor region; not a precise lexical birthplace.
Portuguese acajú is the reported intermediary between Tupi acajuba and French acajou. cashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
French acajou is the source of the shortened English form. cashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
English cashew is dated to 1703 and is described as a shortening of French acajou. cashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
cashew: an inspected specialist, institutional or national-language source supports the displayed forms and the selected conventional readings; reconstructed or historical readings remain explicitly qualified. bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
cashew: the map point is a supported language, speech-community or documented contact-corridor reference, not a precise lexical birthplace. bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
cashew: lexical dates are retained only where the inspected record dates a form or sense; contextual object, cultural, institutional and biographical dates are not substituted for word chronology. bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
cashew: the route preserves competing analyses, qualified edges and semantic distinctions required by the inspected evidence. bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
cashew: adjacent relations are retained with their existing type and certainty unless the inspected evidence requires a qualified or parallel reading. bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
cashew · English
noun · English
Reading: KASH-oo
The cashew tree or edible nut.. The cashew tree or edible nut.
c. 1703 · English cashew — Reported first-use context; not necessarily the date of coinage or transmission.
English lexical reference region (not origin) — Reference region for the English lexical stage; not a birthplace or borrowing point.
French acajou is the source of the shortened English form. cashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
English cashew is dated to 1703 and is described as a shortening of French acajou. cashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
cashew: an inspected specialist, institutional or national-language source supports the displayed forms and the selected conventional readings; reconstructed or historical readings remain explicitly qualified. bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
cashew: the map point is a supported language, speech-community or documented contact-corridor reference, not a precise lexical birthplace. bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
cashew: lexical dates are retained only where the inspected record dates a form or sense; contextual object, cultural, institutional and biographical dates are not substituted for word chronology. bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
cashew: the route preserves competing analyses, qualified edges and semantic distinctions required by the inspected evidence. bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
cashew: adjacent relations are retained with their existing type and certainty unless the inspected evidence requires a qualified or parallel reading. bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope

Relationships

acajuba → acajú: borrowing, documented. The inspected source supports this bounded relationship; the displayed edge does not imply a sound-by-sound reconstruction beyond the cited forms. cashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections cashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope

acajú → acajou: borrowing, documented. The inspected source supports this bounded relationship; the displayed edge does not imply a sound-by-sound reconstruction beyond the cited forms. cashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections cashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope

acajou → cashew: derivation, documented. The inspected source supports this bounded relationship; the displayed edge does not imply a sound-by-sound reconstruction beyond the cited forms. cashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections cashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope

Inspect the evidence 9 claims

Open a claim to follow the source and our interpretation.

01The entry gives Tupi acajuba as the name of the tree producing the cashew nut.
Source
cashew — selected etymology and sense sectionsOnline Etymology Dictionarycashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The entry dates cashew to 1703, with earlier cachou, from French acajou, older Portuguese acajú, and Tupi acajuba, the name of the tree. The route names the word for tree/nut and does not infer botanical transmission from it.
cashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
Qualification Source-supported
The word is represented as the reported Tupi source; no botanical distribution is inferred.
What Lexography infers
Lexography selects this account for the named form or sense; wording and presentation are editorial.
Checked 2026-09-14. Linked source retains its copyright. Brief original factual paraphrases only; no full article redistributed.
02Portuguese acajú is the reported intermediary between Tupi acajuba and French acajou.
Source
cashew — selected etymology and sense sectionsOnline Etymology Dictionarycashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The entry dates cashew to 1703, with earlier cachou, from French acajou, older Portuguese acajú, and Tupi acajuba, the name of the tree. The route names the word for tree/nut and does not infer botanical transmission from it.
cashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
Qualification Source-supported
The inspected source supports this bounded lexical statement; it does not establish every use, date or transmission event.
What Lexography infers
Lexography selects this account for the named form or sense; wording and presentation are editorial.
Checked 2026-09-14. Linked source retains its copyright. Brief original factual paraphrases only; no full article redistributed.
03French acajou is the source of the shortened English form.
Source
cashew — selected etymology and sense sectionsOnline Etymology Dictionarycashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The entry dates cashew to 1703, with earlier cachou, from French acajou, older Portuguese acajú, and Tupi acajuba, the name of the tree. The route names the word for tree/nut and does not infer botanical transmission from it.
cashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
Qualification Source-supported
The inspected source supports this bounded lexical statement; it does not establish every use, date or transmission event.
What Lexography infers
Lexography selects this account for the named form or sense; wording and presentation are editorial.
Checked 2026-09-14. Linked source retains its copyright. Brief original factual paraphrases only; no full article redistributed.
04English cashew is dated to 1703 and is described as a shortening of French acajou.
Source
cashew — selected etymology and sense sectionsOnline Etymology Dictionarycashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The entry dates cashew to 1703, with earlier cachou, from French acajou, older Portuguese acajú, and Tupi acajuba, the name of the tree. The route names the word for tree/nut and does not infer botanical transmission from it.
cashew — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
Qualification Source-supported
The inspected source supports this bounded lexical statement; it does not establish every use, date or transmission event.
What Lexography infers
Lexography selects this account for the named form or sense; wording and presentation are editorial.
Checked 2026-09-14. Linked source retains its copyright. Brief original factual paraphrases only; no full article redistributed.
05cashew: an inspected specialist, institutional or national-language source supports the displayed forms and the selected conventional readings; reconstructed or historical readings remain explicitly qualified.
Source
Dicionário histórico de palavras portuguesas de origem TupiMuseu da Língua Portuguesa / Universidade de Brasíliabibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The historical dictionary is a specialist reference for Tupi-origin Portuguese vocabulary and documents forms, dating, variants, definitions, and contact history from sixteenth- to twentieth-century records.
bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
Qualification Source-supported
A conventional reading is not presented as an exact recording of every historical speaker; transliteration remains distinct from pronunciation.
What Lexography infers
Lexography records the strongest recoverable reading for each displayed stage without projecting a modern pronunciation backward.
Checked 2026-09-20 · revision Page or abstract inspected for lexical history, readings, sense chronology and qualifications. new
06cashew: the map point is a supported language, speech-community or documented contact-corridor reference, not a precise lexical birthplace.
Source
Dicionário histórico de palavras portuguesas de origem TupiMuseu da Língua Portuguesa / Universidade de Brasíliabibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The historical dictionary is a specialist reference for Tupi-origin Portuguese vocabulary and documents forms, dating, variants, definitions, and contact history from sixteenth- to twentieth-century records.
bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
Qualification Qualified
Reference coordinates orient the language or contact corridor and do not assert a territorial boundary, donor village or origin site.
What Lexography infers
Lexography uses the strongest defensible regional precision available in the inspected evidence.
Checked 2026-09-20 · revision Page or abstract inspected for lexical history, readings, sense chronology and qualifications. new
07cashew: lexical dates are retained only where the inspected record dates a form or sense; contextual object, cultural, institutional and biographical dates are not substituted for word chronology.
Source
Dicionário histórico de palavras portuguesas de origem TupiMuseu da Língua Portuguesa / Universidade de Brasíliabibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The historical dictionary is a specialist reference for Tupi-origin Portuguese vocabulary and documents forms, dating, variants, definitions, and contact history from sixteenth- to twentieth-century records.
bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
Qualification Qualified
Undated reconstructed or historical stages remain researched unresolved rather than receiving an invented date.
What Lexography infers
Lexography distinguishes attestation, documented use, sense attestation, bounded lexical periods and context.
Checked 2026-09-20 · revision Page or abstract inspected for lexical history, readings, sense chronology and qualifications. new
08cashew: the route preserves competing analyses, qualified edges and semantic distinctions required by the inspected evidence.
Source
Dicionário histórico de palavras portuguesas de origem TupiMuseu da Língua Portuguesa / Universidade de Brasíliabibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The historical dictionary is a specialist reference for Tupi-origin Portuguese vocabulary and documents forms, dating, variants, definitions, and contact history from sixteenth- to twentieth-century records.
bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
Qualification Qualified
The source family supports a Tupi lexical corridor, but the exact donor dialect and every transfer date remain bounded; plant dispersal is contextual.
What Lexography infers
The narrative and topology are editorial representations of the evidence graph, not proof that every adjacent form is a direct parent.
Checked 2026-09-20 · revision Page or abstract inspected for lexical history, readings, sense chronology and qualifications. new
09cashew: adjacent relations are retained with their existing type and certainty unless the inspected evidence requires a qualified or parallel reading.
Source
Dicionário histórico de palavras portuguesas de origem TupiMuseu da Língua Portuguesa / Universidade de Brasíliabibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The historical dictionary is a specialist reference for Tupi-origin Portuguese vocabulary and documents forms, dating, variants, definitions, and contact history from sixteenth- to twentieth-century records.
bibliographic description; historical Tupi lexicography and dating scope
Qualification Qualified
A displayed tree edge does not erase non-tree alternatives or convert cognacy, influence or comparison into direct borrowing.
What Lexography infers
Lexography preserves the current topology and records the evidence limits alongside each relation.
Checked 2026-09-20 · revision Page or abstract inspected for lexical history, readings, sense chronology and qualifications. new