Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The fruit of the coconut palm, consisting of a fibrous husk surrounding a large seed.
  • noun The large, brown, hard-shelled seed of the coconut, containing white flesh surrounding a partially fluid-filled central cavity.
  • noun The edible white flesh of the coconut, often shredded and used in food and confections or for the extraction of coconut oil.
  • noun A coconut palm.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun See cocoanut.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun the edible white meat of a coconut{3}; often shredded for use in e.g. cakes and curries.
  • noun the cocoa palm.
  • noun The large, hard-shelled oval nut of the cocoa palm. It has a fibrous husk containing a thick white fibrous meat much used as food, in confections, and in making oil. It has a central cavity filled (when fresh) with an agreeable milky liquid.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A fruit of the coconut palm (not a true nut), Cocos nucifera, having a fibrous husk surrounding a large seed.
  • noun A hard-shelled seed of this fruit, having white flesh and a fluid-filled central cavity.
  • noun uncountable The edible white flesh of this fruit.
  • noun The coconut palm.
  • noun pejorative, ethnic slur A Hispanic or dark-skinned person who acts “white” (Caucasian), alluding to the fact that a coconut is brown on the outside and white on the inside. Compare banana ("East Asian who acts white").
  • noun South Africa, pejorative A black person who thinks "white" (European). Compare banana ("East Asian who acts white").
  • noun New Zealand, pejorative A Pacific islander.
  • noun slang A female breast.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun large hard-shelled oval nut with a fibrous husk containing thick white meat surrounding a central cavity filled (when fresh) with fluid or milk
  • noun tall palm tree bearing coconuts as fruits; widely planted throughout the tropics
  • noun the edible white meat of a coconut; often shredded for use in e.g. cakes and curries

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Portuguese coco, pumpkin or other object carved with a face used to scare children, goblin, coconut (since the three indentations on the base of a coconut suggest the eyes and mouth of a goblin; probably from Late Latin coccum, shell; see cocoon) + nut.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From coco +‎ nut.

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Examples

  • The main system that has been developed is the rearing of bees under coconut trees (called “coconut complex agroecosystem”).

    1. The jab-seeder a tool for manual seeding 1992

  • The word coconut comes from the Portuguese coco, which means goblin or monkey.

    On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004

  • The word coconut comes from the Portuguese coco, which means goblin or monkey.

    On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004

  • The term coconut has been used to accuse someone of betraying their race or culture by implying that, like a coconut, they are brown on the outside but white on the inside.

    BBC News | News Front Page | World Edition 2010

  • Around here (Pátzcuaro), even though we are not in coconut palm growing country, "cocos fríos" are popular as a drink.

    coconut milk 2009

  • For these, bananas are spread with Nutella and rolled in coconut, then they are frozen.

    Bites from other Blogs | Baking Bites 2009

  • Around here (Pátzcuaro), even though we are not in coconut palm growing country, "cocos fríos" are popular as a drink.

    coconut milk 2009

  • To toast coconut on the stove top, spread shredded coconut into a large skillet (or small, if you only need a small amount) and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until coconut is mostly golden brown.

    Baking Bites » Print » How to toast coconut 2009

  • Also, i cooked pork in coconut water for my Mexican boyfriend and nem nuong (broiled or char-grilled pork meatballs on a stick) for my Oaxacan friends but served them over jasmine rice instead of bun (the same rice noodles in pho) and they loved it!!!

    �me encanta caldo de res! 2009

  • Also, i cooked pork in coconut water for my Mexican boyfriend and nem nuong (broiled or char-grilled pork meatballs on a stick) for my Oaxacan friends but served them over jasmine rice instead of bun (the same rice noodles in pho) and they loved it!!!

    �me encanta caldo de res! 2009

  • Creamy, homemade coconut milk made with 2 ingredients in 10 minutes! Let me show you how.

    How to Make Coconut Milk Minimalist Baker 2024

  • Coconut milk (carton) is like taking the coconut milk (canned) and adding more water to thin it out to make it drinkable. Again, there's sweetened and unsweetened. I think most people agree that, unless you want the coconut flavor, carton coconut milk is inferior to most other plant milks.

    May I ask why coconut cream/milk is bad? FreshieBoomBoom 2025

  • To many, coconut milk is considered a cornerstone flavor of Thai cuisine. However, It can be surprisingly difficult to track down one of high quality, and is far too easy to buy one that doesn’t quite do the job. Thankfully, our friends at America’s Test Kitchen did a taste test of coconut milks that are more widely available and pick their favorites. Jack Bishop gave our Managing Producer Sally Swift the low-down on what makes a good coconut milk and shared their recommendations.

    America's Test Kitchen taste test: coconut milk 2025

Comments

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  • Sometimes thought to be migratory.

    February 15, 2007

  • I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts

    There they are all standing in a row

    Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head

    Give them a twist, a flick of the wrist

    That's what the showman said

    I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts

    Every ball you throw will make me rich

    There stands my wife, the idol of me life

    Singing roll a bowl a ball a penny a pitch

    Roll a bowl a ball a penny a pitch

    Roll a bowl a ball a penny a pitch

    Roll a bowl a ball, roll a bowl a ball

    Singing roll a bowl a ball a penny a pitch

    I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts (they're lovely)

    There they are all standing in a row (one, two, three, four)

    Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head (and bigger)

    Give them a twist a flick of the wrist

    That's what the showman said

    I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts

    Every ball you throw will make me rich

    There stands my wife, the idol of me life

    Singing roll a bowl a ball a penny a pitch (all together now)

    Roll a bowl a ball a penny a pitch (harmony)

    Roll a bowl a ball a penny a pitch

    Roll a bowl a ball, roll a bowl a ball

    Singing roll a bowl a ball a penny a pitch

    February 15, 2007