cacao

ca·cao

noun \kə-ˈkau̇, kə-ˈkā-(ˌ)ō\

plural cacaos

Definition of CACAO

1

: the dried partly fermented fatty seeds of a South American evergreen tree (Theobroma cacao of the family Sterculiaceae) that are used in making cocoa, chocolate, and cocoa butter —called also cacao bean, cocoa bean

2

: a tree having small yellowish flowers followed by fleshy pods from which cacao is obtained

Examples of CACAO

1. a farmer who grows cacao

Illustration of CACAO

Origin of CACAO

Spanish, from Nahuatl cacahuatl

First Known Use: 1555

Other Seed Plant Terms

aubergine, box, bramble, briar, composite, perpetual, pulse, trefoil

Rhymes with CACAO

laus Deo, rodeo

ca·cao

noun \kə-ˈkau̇, kə-ˈkā-(ˌ)ō\   (Medical Dictionary)

plural ; cacaos

Medical Definition of CACAO

1

: the dried partly fermented fatty seeds of a South American evergreen tree (Theobroma cacao of the family Sterculiaceae) that are used in making cocoa, chocolate, and cocoa butter—called also cacao bean, cocoa bean

2

: a tree having small yellowish flowers followed by fleshy pods with many seeds that bear cacao—called also chocolate tree

cacao

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Tropical New World tree (Theobroma cacao) of the chocolate family (Sterculiaceae). Its seeds, after fermentation and roasting, yield cocoa and chocolate. Cocoa butter is extracted from the seed. The tree is grown throughout the wet lowland tropics, often in the shade of taller trees. Its thick trunk supports a canopy of large, leathery, oblong leaves. The small, foul-smelling, pinkish flowers are borne directly on the branches and trunk; they are followed by the fruit, or pods, each yielding 20–40 seeds, or cocoa beans.