carnauba
noun
car·nau·ba kär-ˈnȯ-bə 
-ˈnau̇-
-ˈnau̇- -ˈnü-;
ˌkär-nə-ˈü-bə
: a fan-leaved palm (Copernicia prunifera synonym C. cerifera) of Brazil that has an edible root and yields a useful leaf fiber and carnauba wax
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The wax comes from the carnauba palm, which grows in northern Brazil. 
Rick Romell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2017 Conditions on carnauba plantations are so poor that police sometimes raid them to free the workers, Deutsche Welle said. Rick Romell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2017
Rick Romell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2017 Conditions on carnauba plantations are so poor that police sometimes raid them to free the workers, Deutsche Welle said. Rick Romell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2017 Word History
Etymology
Brazilian Portuguese carnaúba, from Tupi karanaʔíβa, from karaná, a palm (perhaps Mauritia carana or M. flexuosa) + ɨβa stem, plant, tree
First Known Use
1866, in the meaning defined above