cacao

noun

ca·​cao kə-ˈkau̇  kə-ˈkā-(ˌ)ō 

plural cacaos

1

or cacao bean : a dried, fermented, fatty seed of the fruit of a South American evergreen tree (Theobroma cacao of the family Malvaceae) that is used in making cocoa, chocolate, and cocoa butter : cocoa bean

… polyphenols also make cacao beans taste astringent and bitter.

—Patricia Gadsby

2

or cacao tree : a tree having small yellowish flowers followed by fleshy pods from which cacao is obtained

Chocolate starts as the seeds in the fruits of the cacao tree, a tropical plant that produces flowers and fruit not at the tips of branches but on the trunk.

—Kenneth Chang

The cacao tree is native to the tropical countries of South America, but now grows in other parts of the world, notably Africa, the West Indies, and Central America.

—Joanna Morris

Illustration of cacao

• cacao 2

Examples of cacao in a Sentence

a farmer who grows cacao

Recent Examples on the Web

Environmental disruptions due to climate change are causing cacao trees to die, raising chocolate prices and underscoring the need for sustainable cocoa efforts in the U.S. and Europe. —Noël Fletcher, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024

For the installation, a path leads to several stops, each corresponding to a step in the life cycle of wild cacao. —Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2024

Many popular candy brands offer a range of dark chocolates with varying amounts of cacao (shown as a percent). —Nick Blackmer, Verywell Health, 12 Aug. 2024

Researchers investigating the insect fauna on cacao farms and plantations discovered a small, orange insect on the leaves of the cacao plants, according to a study published July 19 in the journal ZooKeys. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 22 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from Nahuatl cacahuatl

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cacao

• cacao butter
• crème de cacao

Kids Definition

cacao

noun

ca·​cao kə-ˈkau̇ 

kə-ˈkā-ō

plural cacaos

1

: a South American tree that bears small yellowish flowers followed by fleshy yellow pods containing many seeds

2

: the dried fatty seeds of the cacao from which cocoa and chocolate are made

called also cacao bean

Medical Definition

cacao

noun

ca·​cao kə-ˈkau̇  kə-ˈkā-(ˌ)ō 

plural cacaos

1

: the dried partly fermented fatty seeds of a South American evergreen tree (Theobroma cacao of the family Sterculiaceae) that are used in making cocoa, chocolate, and cocoa butter

called also cacao bean, cocoa bean

2

: a tree having small yellowish flowers followed by fleshy pods with many seeds that bear cacao

called also chocolate tree