Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A Brazilian feather-leaved palm (Orbignya barbosiana) having hard-shelled fruits whose seeds yield an edible vegetable oil.
Wiktionary
- n. a tall Brazilian feather palm, Orbignya barbosiana, having hard-shelled nuts that yield an edible oil
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. a tall feather palm of northern Brazil (Orbignya barbosiana) with hard-shelled nuts yielding a valuable oil (babassu oil) and a kind of vegetable ivory.
WordNet 3.0
- n. tall feather palm of northern Brazil with hard-shelled nuts yielding valuable oil and a kind of vegetable ivory
Etymologies
- Portuguese babaçú, from Tupi babassú, ibabassú : ibá, fruit + -bassú, variant of -assú, -guassú, big.
Examples
“Virgin Atlantic in 2008 became the first airline to fly with biofuel—in that instance derived from coconut and babassu palm oil that was used in a 20% mix in one of the Boeing 747's four fuel tanks.”
The Wall Street Journal: Virgin Australia Researching Eucalyptus Leaves As Jet Fuel
“People and the Palm Forest: Biology and utilization of babassu palms in Maranhão, Brazil.”
“Other airlines have already tested algae and oil from the jatropha plant and the babassu nut.”
“Mrs. Lopes rallied the women to stand in the path of a bulldozer bearing down on their babassu palm forest.”
The Wall Street Journal: At Brazil's Museum of the Person, 10,000 Voices Tell a Nation's Story
“On Sunday, Virgin Airlines flew a jumbo jet from London to Amsterdam powered in part by coconuts ( "a biofuel mixture of coconut and babassu oil" to be more precise).”
“The plane's one engine flew successfully using fuel derived from a mixture of Brazilian babassu nuts and coconuts.”
Stefanie Michaels: Virgin America Joins EPA Climate Leaders Program
“I've never seen a babassu nut, but it's amazing that it helped power an airplane the size of a 747.”
“I was interested to see that Virgin Atlantic flew a 747 from London's Heathrow Airport to Amsterdam, fueled partly by coconuts and Brazilian babassu nuts.”
“Virgin Atlantic conducted a test flight with a Boeing 747 powered by biofuels, which is a mix of coconut and babassu oil.”
“On Maiden Voyage Ever a showman, Virgin Atlantic Airlines President Richard Branson opened a vial of jet fuel made with oil from coconuts and Brazilian babassu nuts and drank it, forcing a stiff smile.”
Lists
‘babassu’ hasn't been added to any lists yet.
reesetee Yes. Yes, please, bilby--put away your conscience and put on some clothes! Jan 4, 2008
bilby You mean ... you mean ... this stuff hasn't caused eggplant elephants to be hunted to the brink of extinction? That I can put my conscience away and start wearing clothes again after all these years? Jan 4, 2008
reesetee I've seen clothing that has buttons made of vegetable ivory. Jan 4, 2008
bilby And what on earth would you do with 'vegetable ivory'? Jan 4, 2008
bilby Hmmm. Definr.com has this definition:
n : tall feather palm of northern Brazil with hard-shelled nuts yielding valuable oil and a kind of vegetable ivory
syn: babassu palm, coco de macao, Orbignya phalerata, Orbignya spesiosa, Orbignya martiana
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