coconut

American  

[koh-kuh-nuht, -nuht] / ˈkoʊ kəˌnʌt, -nət /

Sometimes cocoanut

noun

coconuts plural

1. the large, hard-shelled seed of the coconut palm, lined with a white edible meat, and containing a milky liquid.

2. the meat of the coconut, often shredded and used in cooking, as a flavoring, and as a dessert topping.

3. coconut palm.

4. Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. a person of color, especially a person of Latin American or South Asian origin or descent, who is regarded as having adopted the attitudes, values, and behavior thought to be characteristic of middle-class white society, at the expense of their ethnic heritage.

---

coconut British  

/ ˈkəʊkəˌnʌt /

noun

1. the fruit of the coconut palm, consisting of a thick fibrous oval husk inside which is a thin hard shell enclosing edible white meat. The hollow centre is filled with a milky fluid ( coconut milk )

2. 1. the meat of the coconut, often shredded and used in cakes, curries, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      coconut cake

3. slang a black or Asian person who conforms to white culture at the expense of his or her ancestral culture, the idea being that, like a coconut, he or she is dark on the outside and white on the inside

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• coconuts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of coconut

First recorded in 1605–15; coco + nut

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

The early 2000s saw the arrival of coconut water, once seen as way to use up a byproduct from coconut cream that caught on years later.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 11, 2026

"I don't know how long we will be like this," said Stefani Garate, 26, who used to sell coconut candies on the beach.

From Barron's • Jul. 8, 2026

The bridge, I realized, was the coconut milk.

From Salon • Jul. 4, 2026

Thanks to a Philippines-Mexico connection, coconut shows up in sweet and savory recipes: ceviche with poached shrimp, coconut limonada and coconut raspado with jammy plums.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026

She smells like coconut oil and lemon, earth and sun.

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

Related Words

• brain
• skull