cola

Where does the word "cola" come from? It comes from Twi kola, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

Cola’s story begins in Twi: kola meant “the kola nut.” The caffeine-rich nut of a West African tree, chewed as a stimulant. It reached English by 1800s as cola. The nut appeared as 'kola' as early as 1597 in Abraham Hartwell's translation of a Portuguese report on the Kingdom of Kongo; later the flavor of soft drinks made with it. Today, cola means a carbonated soft drink flavored with kola nut extract.

1. Stage 1 · Twi · 1700s kola "the kola nut", the caffeine-rich nut of a West African tree, chewed as a stimulant.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1800s cola "a caffeinated soft drink flavor", the nut appeared as 'kola' as early as 1597 in Abraham Hartwell's translation of a Portuguese report on the Kingdom of Kongo; later the flavor of soft drinks made with it.