shea

IPA/ʃiː/
IPA/ʃiː/

shea — noun

  • sheasingular
  • sheasplural

1. a tall African tree whose oval brown fruits contain oily seeds that people proce

1.名詞C1
釋義

a tall African tree whose oval brown fruits contain oily seeds that people process into a fat used for skin care and food preparation

例句

The shea trees on Hassan's farm grew tall and produced their first nuts this season.

countable noun naming the tree

Sumin read that shea trees can live for over two hundred years in the wild.

同義詞
  • Vitellaria paradoxa

    scientific name for the shea tree; used in botanical writing

  • karité

    French-derived name for the tree, used in English-language cosmetic contexts

用法筆記

As a tree name, 'shea' is usually used attributively (shea tree, shea orchard) rather than as a standalone count noun ('a shea').

常見錯誤

The shea is a type of African plant.
The shea tree is a type of African plant.
💡Speakers usually add 'tree' after 'shea' when referring to the plant itself.

2. a thick cream-coloured fat pressed from shea nuts and widely used to make skin l

2.名詞B2
釋義

a thick cream-coloured fat pressed from shea nuts and widely used to make skin lotions, soaps, hair creams, and some traditional dishes

例句

Charlotte rubs a small amount of shea butter into her hands every night before bed.

uncountable; used as a moisturiser

This shampoo contains shea butter to help repair dry and damaged hair.

ingredient in hair-care products

同義詞
  • karité butter

    alternative name from French; less common in everyday English

常見錯誤

Shea butter are good for the skin.
Shea butter is good for the skin.
💡Shea butter is uncountable, so the verb must be singular.