chocolate

choc·o·late

noun \ˈchä-k(ə-)lət, ˈchȯ-\

Definition of CHOCOLATE

1

: a beverage made by mixing chocolate with water or milk

2

: a food prepared from ground roasted cacao beans

3

: a small candy with a center (as a fondant) and a chocolate coating

4

: a brownish gray

— chocolate adjective

Examples of CHOCOLATE

1. The cake recipe calls for four squares of chocolate.
2. She gave me a box of chocolates for my birthday.

Origin of CHOCOLATE

Spanish, from Nahuatl chocolātl, probably alteration of eastern Nahuatl dialect chikolātl, from chikolli hook (probably used to refer to the beater used to mix chocolate with water) + ātl water, liquid

First Known Use: 1604

Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

chocolate

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Brazilian cocoa pods—Carl Frank/Photo Researchers

Food prepared from ground roasted cacao beans. It is consumed as candy, used to make beverages, and added as a flavouring or coating for confections and baked products. It was introduced to Europe by Hernán Cortés following his visit in 1519 to the court of Montezuma II, who served the conquistador a bitter cacao-bean drink, xocoatl. In making chocolate, the kernels of fermented and roasted cacao beans are ground into a paste called chocolate liquor, which may be hardened in molds to form baking (bitter) chocolate, pressed to reduce the cocoa butter (vegetable fat) content and then pulverized to make cocoa powder, or mixed with sugar and additional cocoa butter to make sweet (eating) chocolate. The addition of concentrated milk to sweet chocolate produces milk chocolate. White chocolate, made from cocoa butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla, contains no cocoa solids. Rich in carbohydrates and fat and containing small amounts of caffeine, chocolate is an excellent source of quick energy.