coconut

/ˌkoʊkəˈnʌt/

/ˈkʌʊkənət/

Other forms: coconuts

A coconut is a large, nut-like fruit that grows high in trees. Coconuts have very hard shells and sweet, white flesh inside.

The white, flaked coconut you can buy in a bag at the grocery store is a processed form of the coconut fruit. Coconuts are large brown balls that must be cut or sawed open — inside the shell is the coconut meat, and clear coconut water. To use coconut for baking, it has to first be grated and, often, sweetened. The word comes from coco, "grinning face," in Portuguese, which may refer to the three face-like holes in a coconut shell.

Definitions of coconut

1. 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
   synonyms: cocoanut

   type of:

   edible nut

   a hard-shelled seed consisting of an edible kernel or meat enclosed in a woody or leathery shell
2. noun

   tall palm tree bearing coconuts as fruits; widely planted throughout the tropics
   synonyms: Cocos nucifera, coco, coco palm, cocoa palm, coconut palm, coconut tree

   type of:

   palm, palm tree

   any plant of the family Palmae having an unbranched trunk crowned by large pinnate or palmate leaves
3. noun

   the edible white meat of a coconut; often shredded for use in e.g. cakes and curries
   synonyms: coconut meat

   types:

   copra

   the dried meat of the coconut from which oil is extracted

   type of:

   food, solid food

   any solid substance (as opposed to liquid) that is used as a source of nourishment