chocolate

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noun choc·o·late \ˈchä-k(ə-)lət, ˈchȯ-\

Definition of chocolate

1 : a beverage made by mixing chocolate with water or milk The boy stirred the chocolate before drinking it.
2 : a food prepared from ground roasted cacao beans The cake recipe calls for four squares of chocolate.
3 : a small candy with a center (such as a fondant) and a chocolate coating gave her a box of chocolates
4 : a brownish gray The bird's plumage was a shade of chocolate.

chocolate

adjective

See chocolate defined for English-language learners

See chocolate defined for kids

Examples of chocolate in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of chocolate from the Web

To prep her client for underlights, Devine dyed the perimeter of her hair with dark chocolate dye and bleached the middle section.

— devon abelman, Allure, "This Rainbow Hair Look Combines Every Instagram Hair Color Trend", 6 July 2017
The sweet treat is made with Scooped by MooTime vanilla ice cream and a cakey chocolate wafer.

— carolina gusman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "National Ice Cream Month: Every day's a sundae in July", 5 July 2017
A second cabin highlight is a three-position center dash screen, affectionately known as the Toblerone because its cross section resembles that of the triangular Swiss chocolate bar.

— don sherman, Car and Driver, "2018 Bentley Continental GT", 5 July 2017
Put the white chocolate pastilles in a medium bowl.

— ellise pierce, star-telegram, "Summer cherries, apricots and peaches ... oh, my!", 4 July 2017
Breakfast includes blueberry or chocolate pancakes, along with sausage, coffee and juice.

— erika butler, The Aegis, "Bel Air all set for day full of activities July 4", 30 June 2017
Check out these chocolate bon bons served over dry ice.

— AL.com, "Alabama's Best Steakhouse is...", 26 June 2017
Sweet Laurel will be slicing from their entire menu of cakes—we’re talking chocolate caramel, vanilla coconut jam, carrot—and Caffe Luxxe will be pouring a bunch of different brews that pair with each flavor.

— marielle wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, "The 5 Best Things to Do in L.A. This Weekend", 23 June 2017
The soft, sweet potato cookies for the chocolate ice cream sandwich reveal a pinch of cayenne.

— providence cicero, The Seattle Times, "At JuneBaby, star chef Edouardo Jordan returns to his Southern roots", 22 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of chocolate

Spanish, from Nahuatl chocolātl, proibn 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

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First Known Use: 1604

See Words from the same year

Other Food Terms

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

CHOCOLATE Defined for English Language Learners

chocolate

play

noun

Definition of chocolate for English Language Learners

: a food that is made from cacao beans and that is eaten as candy or used as a flavoring ingredient in other sweet foods
: a candy made or covered with chocolate
: a dark brown color

CHOCOLATE Defined for Kids

chocolate

play

noun choc·o·late \ˈchä-kə-lət, ˈchä-klət, ˈchȯ-\

Definition of chocolate for Students

1 : a food prepared from ground roasted cacao beans
2 : a candy made or coated with chocolate
3 : a beverage of chocolate in water or milk … he ordered … a pot of coffee and another of chocolate. — Esther Forbes, Johnny Tremain

chocolate

adjective chocolate ice cream

History for chocolate

The word chocolate, like chili and tomato, comes from an American Indian language called Nahuatl, which was spoken in central Mexico at the time of the Spanish conquest. The Nahuatl word chocolātl looks like a compound, but its parts are not known for certain, and this has led to much discussion about its origin. One interesting idea is that the real source is chicolātl, a Nahuatl dialect word, made from chicolli, “hook”—here referring to the small hooked stick used to beat chocolate and hot water to a froth—and ātl, “liquid, water.”