coconut

IPA/ˈkəʊkənʌt/
KK[kˈokənˌʌt]IPA/ˈkəʊkənʌt/

coconut — noun

  • coconutsingular
  • coconutsplural

1. a large round fruit with a very hard brown shell and soft white flesh inside tha

1.nounB1
Definition

a large round fruit with a very hard brown shell and soft white flesh inside that you can eat, plus a clear liquid called coconut water that you can drink

Example

Diego cracked open a coconut and drank the cool liquid inside.

crack open + coconut for opening the shell

The market vendor sold fresh coconuts with straws for drinking the water.

fresh coconut + straw + drinking water

Common collocations
  • fresh coconut
  • ripe coconut
  • young coconut
  • crack a coconut
  • open a coconut
  • coconut water
  • coconut milk
Synonyms
  • drupe

    the correct botanical term; more technical and rarely used in everyday speech

Grammar Patterns

[countable] a coconut / two coconuts

Usage Note

Often confused with a true botanical nut. A coconut is classified as a drupe, not a nut.

Common Mistakes

A coconut is a type of nut that grows underground.
A coconut is a type of fruit called a drupe that grows on a tall tree.
Botanically, a coconut is not a true nut and does not grow underground.

2. a tall tropical palm tree that produces large round fruits with a hard brown she

2.nounA2
Definition

a tall tropical palm tree that produces large round fruits with a hard brown shell and white flesh inside

Example

Tall coconut trees lined the sandy path down to the ocean.

coconut tree + coastal setting

Yusuf planted a coconut tree in his backyard and watered it daily.

plant + coconut tree

Common collocations
  • coconut tree
  • coconut palm
  • climb a coconut tree
  • plant a coconut tree
  • tall coconut tree
Synonyms
  • coconut palm

    a more precise term that highlights that it is a palm tree; often used in botanical writing

  • palm tree

    a broader category; not all palm trees produce coconuts

Grammar Patterns

[countable] a coconut tree / coconut trees / coconut palm

Usage Note

Also called a coconut palm. The tree is the source of all coconut products — the fruit, the flesh, the oil, and the fibre.

Common Mistakes

The coconut grows on a short bush near the ground.
The coconut grows on a tall tree called a coconut palm.
Coconut trees can reach 20–30 metres in height.

3. the white, edible part inside a coconut shell, often eaten raw or used as an ing

3.nounB1
Definition

the white, edible part inside a coconut shell, often eaten raw or used as an ingredient in cooking and baking

Example

Hana grated fresh coconut and added it to the curry for extra flavour.

grated coconut + used in cooking

The recipe asks for two cups of shredded coconut mixed with sugar.

shredded coconut + recipe quantity

Common collocations
  • shredded coconut
  • desiccated coconut
  • fresh coconut
  • grated coconut
  • toasted coconut
  • dried coconut
  • coconut flakes
  • coconut oil
  • coconut cream
  • coconut milk
  • coconut butter
Synonyms
  • coconut meat

    common in American English, especially in recipes and product labels

  • copra

    the dried white flesh of the coconut, used to make coconut oil; more technical

Grammar Patterns

[uncountable] some coconut / a cup of coconut / shredded coconut

Usage Note

Uncountable when referring to the flesh as a food ingredient. Do not say 'a coconut' when you mean the flesh used in cooking — use 'some coconut' or 'shredded coconut'.

Common Mistakes

I bought three coconuts for the cake.' (when meaning the ingredient)
I bought some coconut for the cake.
When referring to the flesh as an ingredient, use the uncountable form.

4. the rough brown material taken from the outer layer of a coconut's shell, woven

4.nounB2
Definition

the rough brown material taken from the outer layer of a coconut's shell, woven or processed into items like rope, doormats, brushes, and gardening supplies

Example

Noa used coconut fibre to make a strong rope for the garden fence.

coconut fibre + making rope

The doormat was woven from brown coconut fibre and lasted for years.

woven from coconut fibre

Common collocations
  • coconut fibre
  • coconut husk
  • woven from coconut fibre
  • made from coconut fibre
  • coconut fibre mat
  • coconut fibre rope
Synonyms
  • coir

    the commercial and horticultural term for coconut fibre; more precise in gardening and industry contexts

  • coconut husk

    the whole outer layer of the coconut before the fibres are separated

Grammar Patterns

[uncountable] made from coconut / coconut fibre

Usage Note

Often called coir (pronounced /kɔɪər/) in commercial and gardening contexts. This sense is uncountable; do not use 'coconut fibres' in the plural unless referring to individual strands.

Common Mistakes

The mat is made of a coconut fibre.
The mat is made of coconut fibre.
This is an uncountable material noun; do not add 'a'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A coconut is often called a nut in everyday English, but botanically it is a drupe — a type of fruit with a hard stone inside, like a peach or a mango. A true nut, such as an almond or a walnut, has a hard shell that does not open naturally, while a drupe has three layers: an outer skin, a fleshy middle, and a hard inner stone. The coconut's hard shell is actually the inner stone, and its outer husk is the fleshy middle layer. In cooking and shopping contexts, people use 'nut' loosely — 'coconut' is on the nut aisle in many supermarkets — but in biology class, 'drupe' is the accurate term.

coconut ↗nut ↗drupe ↗stone fruit ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • coconut-based
  • made from coconut
  • rich in coconut

Prepositions

Etymology

SpanishPortugueseEnglish

The word 'coconut' comes from 16th-century Spanish and Portuguese 'coco', meaning 'grinning face' or 'monkey face'. Portuguese explorers thought the three dark spots at the bottom of the coconut shell looked like a face with two eyes and a mouth. The English word 'nut' was later added to describe the hard, seed-like fruit.