What does cashew mean?
A cashew is the curved, kidney-shaped seed of Anacardium occidentale, a tropical evergreen tree originally native to northeastern Brazil and now cultivated extensively across India, Vietnam, and West Africa. Botanically unusual, the cashew grows externally, attached beneath the swollen stalk known as the cashew apple — a pear-shaped accessory fruit enjoyed fresh or as juice in growing regions. In everyday English, "cashew" refers chiefly to the edible kernel, prized for its mild, buttery flavor and creamy texture; it is eaten roasted and salted as a snack, blended into cashew butter, dairy-free sauces, and vegan cheeses, and folded into curries and stir-fries across South Asian cuisine. The word entered English in the early seventeenth century via Portuguese "caju," itself borrowed from Tupi "acajú." Though universally called a nut, the cashew is technically a seed, and its shell contains caustic phenolic resins related to those in poison ivy, which is why cashews are always heat-processed before sale. The term carries no strong connotations of register and is entirely neutral in tone.
The kidney-shaped edible seed of the cashew tree, widely eaten roasted as a snack and used in cooking, especially in South Asian and vegan cuisine.
"The korma was thickened with a paste of ground cashews and cream."
Strictly a seed rather than a botanical nut, though universally treated as one in culinary contexts.
The tropical evergreen tree (Anacardium occidentale), native to Brazil, that produces cashew nuts and cashew apples.
"Rows of cashews lined the red laterite roads of rural Goa."
Usually disambiguated as "cashew tree" in speech to avoid confusion with the nut.
The plural "cashews" typically refers to multiple individual nuts, often in food contexts; the plural can also denote the trees collectively.
"The recipe calls for a cup of chopped cashews."
The 'nut' hangs outside its own fruit — and its shell is so caustic, thanks to compounds related to poison ivy, that cashews are almost never sold truly raw.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cashew
The word "cashew" was adopted into English in the early seventeenth century from Portuguese "caju" or "cajuil," which the Portuguese borrowed from "acajú" in Tupi, an indigenous language of coastal Brazil where the tree originated. As Portuguese traders spread the tree to Goa and East Africa, the name traveled with it into many world languages. French preserves the same borrowing as "acajou," which in English also came to denote mahogany — a separate semantic development worth noting but distinct from the nut.
How cashew is actually used
In everyday use, "cashew" most often refers to the edible nut rather than the tree; when ambiguity matters, speakers say "cashew tree" or "cashew plant" for the latter. The word is standard register with no regional variation in meaning, though British usage frequently favors the fuller form "cashew nut."