Kentucky coffee tree

noun

a tall North American tree, Gymnocladus dioica, of the legume family, the seeds of which (Kentucky coffee beans) were formerly used as a substitute for coffee beans.

Origin of Kentucky coffee tree

First recorded in 1775–85

British Dictionary definitions for kentucky coffee tree

Kentucky coffee tree

noun

a North American leguminous tree, Gymnocladus dioica, whose seeds, in brown curved pulpy pods, were formerly used as a coffee substitute