large genus of African trees bearing kola nuts
"The West African forest is home to several species of cola, whose bitter seeds are used in traditional beverages and ceremonies."
The kola plant, genus Cola, famous for its nut, or one of these nuts.
"The union negotiated a COLA to ensure their salaries kept pace with rising inflation."
plural of colon
A cluster of buds on a cannabis plant.
Acronym of cost of living adjustment.
In plain English: Cola is a sweet, fizzy drink made from carbonated water and flavored with kola nuts or similar ingredients that tastes very much like Coke or Pepsi.
"She ordered a glass of cola with her lunch."
Usage: In everyday contexts, cola refers to the sweet carbonated soft drink rather than the botanical kola nut or cannabis bud. Use this term when discussing beverages like Coca-Cola or Pepsi instead of its historical source material.
comp.os.linux.advocacy (a Usenet newsgroup promoting the Linux operating system)
"He spent his entire break reading technical posts on the cola regarding kernel updates."
The word cola comes from West African languages like Temne and Mandinka, where it originally referred to a type of tree or nut. Its current popularity and specific spelling were cemented when Coca-Cola adopted the name for its famous soft drink in 1895.