Meanings
plural chufas
- countableuncountableCyperus esculentus, a species of sedge native to warm temperate to subtropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere having small edible tubers (tiger nuts).
The chinese water chestnut and the tiger nut, or chufa, are both members of the sedge family, a group of water grasses that includes papyrus.
2004, Harold McGee, chapter 6, in On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, Scribner, →ISBN1 more example
Chufa is most popular in two places in the Mediterranean, Spain and Egypt (especially around Damietta). In Spain, especially in the region of Valencia, chufa is used to make a drink called horchata.
2001, Clifford A. Wright, Mediterranean Vegetables, Harvard Common Press, →ISBN, page 119Synonyms: chufa sedge, yellow nutsedge, tigernut sedge, earthalmond
Synonyms & antonyms
nounCyperus esculentus, a species of sedge native to warm temperate to subtropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere having small edible tubers (tiger nuts).
More synonyms by meaning
nounEuropean sedge having small edible nutlike tubers
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Egyptiankꜣpt“incense”
- Ancient Greekκῦφι“a kind of Egyptian incense”
- Latincȳphi“gallingale perfume”
- Spanishchufa
- Englishchufa
Borrowed from Spanish chufa, possibly from Latin cȳphi (“gallingale perfume”), from Ancient Greek κῦφι (kûphi, “a kind of Egyptian incense”), from Egyptian kꜣpt (“incense”), a nominal derivative of kꜣp (“to cense”).
More words from Spanish, Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic حَبّ الْعَزِيز, حَبّ الزَلَم
- حَبّ الْعَزِيز (ḥabb al-ʕazīz)Cyperus esculentus
- حَبّ الزَلَم (ḥabb az-zalam)Cyperus esculentus
Catalan xufla
- xuflaCyperus esculentus
Czech čufa
- čufaCyperus esculentus
Esperanto cipero, termigdalo
- ciperoCyperus esculentus
- termigdaloCyperus esculentus
Finnish maakastanja, maamanteli
- maakastanjaCyperus esculentus
- maamanteliCyperus esculentus
French souchet
- souchetCyperus esculentus
German Erdmandel, Tigernuss
- ErdmandelCyperus esculentus
- TigernussCyperus esculentus
Hungarian mandulafű, kávégyökér
- mandulafűCyperus esculentus
- kávégyökérCyperus esculentus
Polish cibora jadalna, migdał ziemny
- cibora jadalnaCyperus esculentus
- migdał ziemnyCyperus esculentus
- orzech tygrysiCyperus esculentus
- chufaCyperus esculentus
Romanian migdală-de-pământ
- migdală-de-pământCyperus esculentus
Russian чуфа́, земляно́й минда́ль
- чуфа́ (čufá)Cyperus esculentus
- земляно́й минда́ль (zemljanój mindálʹ)Cyperus esculentus
Spanish chufa, cuca
- chufaCyperus esculentus
- cucaCyperus esculentus
Swedish jordmandel
- jordmandelCyperus esculentus
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
chufa. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chufa
“chufa.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chufa. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chufa,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chufa.
Source: chufa on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.