a sedge, Cyperus esculentus, of warm regions of the Old World, with nutlike edible tubers
Word origin
C19: from Old Spanish: a morsel, joke, from chufar to joke, from chuflar to deride, ultimately from Latin sībilāre to whistle
chufa in American English
(ˈtʃuːfə)
noun
an African plant, Cyperus esculentus sativus, of the sedge family, having a tuberous, edible root
Also called: earth almond
Word origin
[1850–55, Amer.; ‹ Sp]This word is first recorded in the period 1850–55. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: ethos, headhunting, heavyweight, runoff, segue