What does cashoo mean?
Cashoo is an obsolete or dialectal English variant of the word now universally spelled 'cashew'. It denotes the kidney-shaped nut of Anacardium occidentale, a tropical tree native to Brazil, whose seeds are prized for their rich, buttery flavor and whose shells yield caustic oils used industrially. The spelling reflects early European attempts to render the word adopted from Tupi acajú via Portuguese; English sources historically offered a range of forms before 'cashew' settled as the standard. Today, 'cashoo' survives chiefly in historical texts, dictionaries of earlier centuries, and regional or antiquarian writing, so readers encountering it should treat it simply as another name for the familiar cashew nut.
nounAn obsolete or dialectal variant spelling of 'cashew', referring to the kidney-shaped edible nut of the tropical cashew tree, or to the tree itself.
- The edible kidney-shaped nut of the cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale); an obsolete variant of 'cashew'.
"The traders loaded their cargo with pepper, cashoo nuts, and dyewood bound for Lisbon."
"The ship's manifest recorded barrels of cashoo nuts among the spices."
"In older botanical texts you may still find the tree listed under the spelling cashoo."
As a countable noun referring to individual nuts; uncountable when referring to the nut as a substance.
"He cracked open a bag of salted cashoos."
Before it was spelled 'cashew', English writers knew this tropical nut as 'cashoo' — one of many spellings carried over from its Tupi name acajú.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cashoo
The word entered English through Portuguese, which adapted it from Tupi acajú, the indigenous Brazilian name for the cashew nut. Early English writers rendered the borrowed term in several spellings, including 'cashoo', before 'cashew' became established as the standard form. As such, 'cashoo' shares its ultimate origin with the modern word 'cashew' rather than possessing an independent lineage.
How cashoo is actually used
'Cashoo' is archaic or dialectal; in all modern contexts the standard spelling is 'cashew'. It appears mainly in historical documents, older dictionaries, and period literature.
Easily confused with cashoo
Cashew is the standard modern spelling and pronunciation of the same word; 'cashoo' is simply an older or dialectal variant that has largely fallen out of use.