What does coconut mean?
A coconut is the large fruit of the coconut palm, a tropical tree found throughout coastal regions of Asia, Africa, the Pacific, and Latin America. Enclosed in a smooth outer layer and a thick fibrous husk, the fruit contains a hard shell whose hollow interior holds sweet coconut water and firm white flesh rich in oil. Both parts are widely used as food and drink, and the dried flesh, known as copra, yields coconut oil used in cooking, cosmetics, and industry. Beyond the kitchen, the word also denotes the palm tree itself, so one may speak of coconuts falling from a grove of coconuts. Few plants are as economically important across the tropics, earning the coconut palm the traditional nickname 'tree of life.' Figuratively, 'coconut' can describe something shaped like the fruit, such as a dessert coated in shredded coconut, and the term appears in many regional dishes and idioms worldwide.
nounThe large, hard-shelled fruit of the coconut palm, containing white edible flesh and sweet liquid; also, the palm tree itself.
- The large oval fruit of the coconut palm, with a fibrous husk, hard shell, white flesh, and sweet liquid inside.
- The coconut palm tree itself.
"She cracked open a coconut and poured the water into a glass."
"The curry was enriched with thick coconut milk."
"Coconut palms lined the beach all the way down the coast."
Regular plural; used for multiple fruits or, less commonly, multiple palm trees.
"The market was piled high with fresh coconuts."
The name 'coconut' comes from Portuguese sailors who thought the three dark 'eyes' on its shell looked like a grinning face — 'coco' meant bogeyman or grimace in old Iberian folklore.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of coconut
The word 'coconut' entered English in the late sixteenth century from Portuguese and Spanish 'coco,' which referred to a grimace or a bugbear in folklore — a name sailors gave the fruit because its three dark markings at the base resemble a grinning face. The '-nut' element was appended by English speakers to signal that it was a nut-like fruit. The root 'coco' survives in related terms such as 'coco palm,' and an older English variant, 'cocoanut,' reflects the same formation.
Related word forms
How coconut is actually used
Used both for the edible fruit and, by extension, the palm that bears it. The archaic variant spelling 'cocoanut' appears mainly in older texts. In everyday use, 'coconut' almost always means the fruit unless the context clearly concerns trees.
Easily confused with coconut
Cocoa refers to a powder and drink made from roasted seeds of the cacao tree, whereas coconut is the fruit of the coconut palm.