coconut
pronunciation
How to pronounce coconut in British English:
UK [ˈkəʊkənʌt]
How to pronounce coconut in American English:
US [ˈkoʊkənʌt]
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- Noun:
- the edible white meat a coconut; often shredded for use in e.g. cakes and curries
- large hard-shelled oval nut with a fibrous husk containing thick white meat surrounding a central cavity filled (when fresh) with fluid or milk
- tall palm tree bearing coconuts as fruits; widely planted throughout the tropics
Word Origin
- coconut
- coconut: [17] Despite its tropical origins, the coconut has a European name. The base of the coconut’s shell, with its three small holes, apparently reminded early Spanish and Portuguese explorers of a human face, so they called it coco; this was the Portuguese word for a grinning or grimacing face, as of a scarecrow. English adopted it in the 16th century, and it formed the basis of the compound coconut, first recorded in 1613. (Before then the fruit of the coconut palm had been known as the Indian nut.)
- coconut (n.)
- 1610s, from coco + nut. Meaning "the head" is slang from 1834.
Example
- 1. I always use coconut oil when cooking southeast asian food .
- 2. Saturated fat from coconut is also a big part of their diet .
- 3. Coconut oil is also a healthy source of saturated fat for vegetarians .
- 4. What I have is a hollow feeling in my stomach the size of a coconut .
- 5. Packaged foods that contain coconut oil , palm oil , or cocoa butter may have a lot of saturated fat .