okra

noun

1. a shrub, Abelmoschus esculentus, of the mallow family, bearing beaked pods.
2. the pods, used in soups, stews, etc.
3. a dish made with the pods.

noun

1. Also called: ladies’ fingers an annual malvaceous plant, Hibiscus esculentus, of the Old World tropics, with yellow-and-red flowers and edible oblong sticky green pods
2. the pod of this plant, eaten in soups, stews, etcSee also gumbo (def. 1)

n.1670s, from a West African language (cf. Akan nkruma “okra”).