coconut

American  

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

Sometimes cocoanut

noun

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.

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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

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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

At the time, seven of 65 islands and atolls were inhabited, by some 1,500 people who survived largely on fishing and coconut harvesting.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

"The highest point above sea level in Kiribati - unless you climb a coconut tree - is two metres. No water, no land, no resources other than fish."

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026

Last week, for instance, I took stock of a few stragglers: sweet potato coins, carrots, frozen onions, scallions, a handful of spinach, half a can of coconut milk, chicken thighs.

From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026

Warm, buttery and cinnamon-scented coconut bread from St. Kitts and Nevis made an indulgent dessert.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Marine iguanas don’t eat coconut, but no one had ever told Fred.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr

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