coconut

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   The large brown fruit of the coconut palm, with a hard, hairy shell and sweet white flesh inside.

   He cracked open a coconut and drank the milk inside.

2. 2
   noun

   The edible white flesh of this fruit, often dried and used in cooking.

   The cake was topped with shredded coconut.

3. 3
   noun

   The tall tropical palm tree that bears coconuts.

   Rows of coconut palms lined the white beach.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Coconut entered English in the late 16th century from Spanish or Portuguese coco, meaning “mask” or “head.” The name refers to the three face-like indentations at the bottom of the nut.

From coco + nut. In reference to assimilated Hispanic or black people, derived from the fruit's exotic origins. The slur originates from the idea that one is "brown on the outside, white on the inside". In reference to Polynesians, from the ubiquity of coconut palms in the area.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary