What does chocolate mean?
Chocolate is a beloved food prepared from the seeds of the cacao tree, which are fermented, roasted and ground into a paste before being combined with sugar and, commonly, milk. It appears in countless forms — bars, truffles, chips, coatings and powders — and can be eaten as a solid confection or drunk warm as hot chocolate. The word also functions as a modifier describing anything flavoured or coloured like chocolate, including a deep brown shade. Chocolate carries strongly positive connotations of indulgence, comfort, romance and luxury: it is the classic gift on Valentine's Day and a near-universal symbol of treat and reward. Derived from Nahuatl via Spanish, the word entered European languages in the sixteenth century alongside the cacao bean itself. Few words in English evoke such immediate sensory pleasure, making 'chocolate' both linguistically versatile and culturally resonant across the English-speaking world.
nounA food preparation made from roasted and ground cacao seeds, typically combined with sugar and often milk, eaten as a confection or used as a flavouring; also the drink made by dissolving it in hot water or milk.
- A sweet food made from cacao seeds, typically roasted, ground and blended with sugar and sometimes milk, eaten as a solid confection.
- The small individual pieces or sweets made of this substance, as in a box of chocolates.
- A hot drink made by dissolving chocolate or cocoa powder in milk or water.
- (as a modifier) A deep brown colour.
"She broke off a square of dark chocolate and let it melt slowly on her tongue."
"He bought a box of assorted chocolates for his grandmother's birthday."
"The walls were painted a rich shade of chocolate that warmed the whole room."
'Chocolates' most naturally refers to individual chocolate sweets or varieties rather than the substance itself, which is normally uncountable.
"The gift box held a dozen handmade chocolates in different flavours."
For most of its history chocolate was a bitter, frothy drink consumed by Aztec emperors — solid eating chocolate wasn't invented until the 19th century.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chocolate
Chocolate entered English in the early seventeenth century from French 'chocolat' or directly from Spanish 'chocolate', which itself derives from Nahuatl (Aztec) 'xocolātl', the name for a drink made from cacao seeds. The precise internal etymology of the Nahuatl word is debated, though it is often analysed as combining elements meaning 'bitter' and 'water'. Related borrowings include 'cacao' and its altered form 'cocoa', both also from Nahuatl via Spanish.
Related word forms
How chocolate is actually used
In British English, 'a chocolate' can mean an individual wrapped sweet, while American English more often uses 'a piece of candy' or 'chocolate' as an uncountable mass noun. 'Chocolaty'/'chocolatey' are both accepted adjectival spellings.
Easily confused with chocolate
Cocoa refers specifically to the powder made from pressed roasted cacao beans (or the drink made from it), whereas chocolate is the broader product made from cacao with sugar and often milk.