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 Sterculiaceae) 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

Hotel history: Its three buildings are a series of elaborate private mansions that once housed a Portuguese family who made their riches from coffee and cacao in São Tomé. —Katie Jackson, Robb Report, 20 June 2024

Haiti’s super-premium cacao has a distinct fruitiness that creates the foundation of flavor for this bar. —Hali Bey Ramdene, Bon Appétit, 12 June 2024

Perk’s nuts, chocolate, cacao and more is bought from Equal Exchange, helping Hughes-Nelson keep her and her cafe’s values aligned. —Blaine Callahan, Hartford Courant, 26 Feb. 2024

Recently, high in the hills of St. Andrew parish in Grenada, a grove of cacao trees granted me temporary reprieve from the scorching sun. —Ross Kenneth Urken, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 May 2023

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from Nahuatl cacahuatl

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cacao

• cacao bean
• cacao butter
• cacao tree
• 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