Wiktionary
n. The seed of the areca palm (not a true nut but a drupe), chewed as a mild stimulant.
WordNet
n. seed of betel palm; chewed with leaves of the betel pepper and lime as a digestive stimulant and narcotic in southeastern Asia [syn: betel nut]
Wikipedia
The areca nut ( or ) is the seed of the areca palm ( Areca catechu), which grows in much of the tropical Pacific, Asia, and parts of east Africa. This seed is commonly referred to as betel nut so it is easily confused with betel leaves that are often used to wrap it ( paan). The term areca originated from a South Asian word during the 16th century, when Dutch and Portuguese sailors took the nut to Europe. Consumption has many harmful effects on health and is carcinogenic to humans. Various compounds present in the nut, most importantly arecoline (the primary psychoactive ingredient), contribute to histologic changes in the oral mucosa. As with chewing tobacco, its use is discouraged by preventive efforts, such as awareness of the risks of chewing buai.
Usage examples of "areca nut".
The Indians use the leaves as a masticatory (the taste being warm, aromatic and bitter), together with scraped areca nut and lime.
No amateur can handle a hunk of wood that stretches forty feet and weighs more than a ton, and no amateur can cook for the guild of Nam Viet, where the additional course is lips of _hsiang-hsiang_, meaning gibbons, seethed in beer made from juice of the areca nut.