Pronunciation: ' tä ŋ -k ə -
Function: noun
Etymology: Dutch tonka ( -boon ) & Portuguese ( fava- ) tonca, perhaps of Cariban origin
Date: 1796
: the coumarin-containing seed of any of several tropical American leguminous trees (genus Dipteryx, especially D. odorata ) that is used in perfumes and as an artificial vanilla flavoring also : a tree bearing tonka beans