jagua

plural jaguas

1. countableuncountableA tree of species Genipa americana, native to the tropical forests of North and South America, as well as the Caribbean; genipap.

   Genipa americana L., or jagua, is a tree that grows (mostly) wild in Latin America.

   2020-, “Jagua temporary tattoos: creation of the jagua value chain in Colombia”, in resiliencebv.com, archived from the original on 06 May 2025

   2 more examples

   The jagua tree is, in fact, one of the most well-disbursed native trees of the rainforests.

   2007 June 14, Aileen Marron, Tribal Tattoos, page 7

   Some Indians used a preparation concocted from the fruit of the jagua tree (Genipa americana), a sixty-foot-high deciduous tree that grows in much of tropical America and produces an elliptical yellow-brown fruit about the size of an orange.

   2003, Ricciuti, Edward R, Killers of the seas : the dangerous creatures that threaten man in an alien environment, page 71

2. countableuncountableThe oval-shaped fruit of this tree; genipap.

   Nothing is wasted— leaves are used to make baskets, the juice of the jagua fruit is applied as a mosquito repellent, and the river provides fresh water for bathing.

   2009, Crandell, Rachel, Hands of the rainforest : the emberá people of Panama, page n1

   2 more examples

   This concoction, which Estellita Lins claims capable of dissolving a candiru lodged in the urethra, is a hot tea made from jagua juice. Jagua is the fruit of the tropical tree Genipa americana.

   2002, Spotte, Stephen, Candiru : life and legend of the bloodsucking catfishes, page 169

   Within its indigenous habitat, Jagua (Genipa americana) was and is used to summon strength, give protection in war, induce transformation, attract mates, bring on menstruation and connect to spirits, amongst other things! It is a very multi- faceted and dynamic fruit, and it is an important part of rituals throughout the Amazon basin and Caribbean, including present day Venezuela, Peru, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad, Ecuador, Panama, Brazil and Columbia.

   2024 January 13, Aleya, “Botanical Musings on the Jagua Tree (Part Two)”, in naturaleya.substack.com, archived from the original on 06 May 2025

3. uncountableThe extract of this fruit, used as a dye for temporary body art and tattoos that stain the upper layer of the skin.

   Coordinate term: henna

4. abbreviationcountableellipsisuncountableEllipsis of jagua palm, also called inajá, Attalea maripa.