coconut

Sometimes co·coa·nut

[koh-kuh-nuht, -nuht]

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.

coconut

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of coconut¹

First recorded in 1605–15; coco + nut

Word History and Origins

Origin of coconut¹

C18: see _coco

Example Sentences

Their sunscreen glistened in the summer heat, leaving a coconut aroma in the air.

From Los Angeles Times

France double dips his homemade French toast, first in an egg mixture combined with half-and-half, whole milk, cinnamon and powdered sugar and then into shredded coconut.

From Salon

Played by Kapoor, Sundari often wears a string of jasmine flowers in her hair, can communicate with elephants and climbs coconut trees as a hobby - all stereotypical traits, often associated with Kerala.

From BBC

When asked how he feels to be immortalized as a sculpted sponge cake with coconut lime mousse, he doesn’t flinch.

From Los Angeles Times

Videos found on the teenager's electronic devices showed footage and stills of him practising with the samurai sword, shooting a crossbow at a coconut, and using a baton to crush a container on his desk.

From BBC

Related Words

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• skull