jojoba

What it means

1. Any member of the species Simmondsia chinensis of shrubs native to the southwestern United States and to Mexico, the only plant known to store liquid wax in its seed.

   The ground was bad – rocky and hard. That was why we used it for jojoba plants. The plants are tough. They donʼt need much.

   1998, Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Talents, HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP (2019), page 195

   Synonyms: goat nut, deer nut, pignut, wild hazel, quinine nut, coffeeberry, gray box bush

In a sentence

The ground was bad – rocky and hard. That was why we used it for jojoba plants. The plants are tough. They donʼt need much.

1998, Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Talents, HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP (2019), page 195

Where it comes from

1. O'odhamhohowai
2. Spanishjojoba
3. Englishjojoba

Borrowed from Spanish jojoba, from O'odham hohowai.