lipstick tree

Meaning

The shrub Bixa orellana, which is native to Mexico and northern South America; the arils covering its seeds are a source of the orange-red colourant annatto, and the ground seeds are used in traditional Caribbean, Central American, and South American cuisine.

Synonyms

achiote

annatto

Translations

annotto

orleaan

rocou

Annatto

Bixa

Orleansbaum

Orleanstrauch

anatto

achiote

rocouyer

roucouyer

rocou

Hyphenated as

lip‧stick

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˌlɪpstɪk ˈtɹiː/

Etymology

From lipstick + tree, from the resemblance of the open fruit pods of the plant to red lips, or from the fact that the consistency of the arils surrounding its seeds is similar to that of lipstick (see the 1942 quotation).