cacao

noun

ca·cao | \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 in a Sentence

a farmer who grows cacao

Recent Examples on the Web

Miglore got pretty tired of sugar by the end — except for chocolate queen Alice Medrich’s Nibby Buckwheat Butter Cookies with cacao nibs and buckwheat flour, an intriguing and not-too-sweet shortbread. — Rebekah Denn, The Seattle Times, "Food52.com writer Kristen Miglore’s book ‘Genius Desserts’ includes several sweet Seattle specialties," 27 Nov. 2018 Stop and refresh yourself with a cacao bowl or watermelon juice. — Hanya Yanagihara, Condé Nast Traveler, "50 Things to Do in Asia Before You Die," 24 Sep. 2018 Coca-Cola’s Honest Tea in 2011 launched a line of tea brewed with cacao called CocoaNova and didn’t properly explain whether retailers should stock it with teas or coffees, Honest Tea founder Seth Goldman said. — Jennifer Maloney And Julie Jargon, WSJ, "Beyond Soda: How and Why Your Beverage Options Are Exploding," 26 Aug. 2018 The resulting three-day plan includes Upton favorites—vegan Caesar salad and mint cacao chip smoothies—alongside pre-, mid-, and post-workout shots. — Zoe Ruffner, Vogue, "5 New Healthy Meal-Delivery Programs, Just In Time for Summer," 11 July 2018 Just behind Honest Biscuits, there's indi chocolate, a tiny artisan chocolate factory and cafe, serving up small-batch bars, desserts and espresso drinks (hello, Mole Caramel Latte) made with cacao sourced from around the world. — Jessica Yadegaran, chicagotribune.com, "Seattle's new waterfront: Pike Place Market and beyond," 24 Apr. 2018 But cacao is also produced in the Caribbean, India and Australia. — Katharina Wecker, USA TODAY, "No, the world won't run out of chocolate by 2050," 5 Jan. 2018 Chocolate meant a lot of things By the 1400s, cacao was much more than a delicious drink in Mesoamerica. — Carol Motsinger, Cincinnati.com, "Think you know - and love - chocolate? Well, you don't know it all," 28 June 2018 Freidel says cacao was almost universally loved by the Maya. — Joshua Rapp Learn, Science | AAAS, "The Maya civilization used chocolate as money," 27 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cacao.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

2 Dec 2018

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Time Traveler for cacao

The first known use of cacao was in 1555

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More Definitions for cacao

cacao

noun

English Language Learners Definition of cacao

: the dried seeds of a tropical tree that are used to make cocoa and chocolate

See the full definition for cacao in the English Language Learners Dictionary

cacao

noun

ca·cao | \kə-ˈkau̇,

kə-ˈkā-ō\

plural cacaos

Kids Definition of cacao

: a South American tree with fleshy yellow pods that contain fatty seeds from which chocolate is made

cacao

noun

ca·cao | \kə-ˈkau̇,

kə-ˈkā-(ˌ)ō

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