coconut

[koh-kuh-nuht, -nuh t]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR coconut ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

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

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 his or her ethnic heritage.Compare Oreo.

Sometimes co·coa·nut.

Origin of coconut

First recorded in 1605–15; coco + nut

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for coconut

brain, skull, belfry, upstairs, attic, crown, dome, cranium, noggin, scalp, pate, poll, noddle, thinker, noodle, capitulum

Examples from the Web for coconut

Contemporary Examples of coconut

Sports drinks and coconut water, which is lower in sugar, can also redeem electrolytes lost while drinking, says White.
5 Hangover Cures to Save You After a Few Too Many
DailyBurn
December 19, 2014
His cannabis-infused menus range from truffle tuna casserole and coconut chicken to French toast and omelets.
Meet the Julia Child of Weed
Justin Jones
November 13, 2014
Unlike sports beverages, coconut water is low in carbohydrates, while still rich in potassium.
10 Ways to Stay Hydrated (That Aren’t Water)
DailyBurn
July 25, 2014
I lasted about five minutes and then, BAM, the coconut oil ended up in my garbage.
We Were Gwyneth’s GOOP Guinea Pigs
Erin Cunningham, Olivia Nuzzi
March 30, 2014
I popped a teaspoon of coconut oil (purchased at Trader Joe's) into my mouth and took very deep breaths through my nose.
We Were Gwyneth’s GOOP Guinea Pigs
Erin Cunningham, Olivia Nuzzi
March 30, 2014

Historical Examples of coconut

Coconut for this purpose may be secured in a number of forms.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 5
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
Beat, and when it begins to get thick, add the nuts and coconut.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 5
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
And then all about were the coconut trees, as fanciful as women, and as vain.
The Trembling of a Leaf
William Somerset Maugham
The itching is relieved by an action similar to that of shredding a coconut.
A Dictionary of Cebuano Visayan
John U. Wolff
This was a supply that would provide 4,000 tons of coconut shells every day.
America's Munitions 1917-1918
Benedict Crowell

British Dictionary definitions for coconut

coconut

cocoanut

noun

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)

the meat of the coconut, often shredded and used in cakes, curries, etc
(as modifier)coconut cake

slang, derogatory 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

Word Origin for coconut

C18: see coco

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for coconut

1610s, from coco + nut. Meaning "the head" is slang from 1834.