cocoa bean

noun

plural cocoa beans
: a dried, fermented, fatty seed of the fruit of a South American tropical evergreen tree (Theobroma cacao of the family Malvaceae) that is used in making cocoa, chocolate, and cocoa butter : cacao sense 1
The cocoa bean contains cocoa solids (particles) and about 53 percent cocoa butter.Rose Levy Beranbaum

Examples of cocoa bean in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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White chocolate doesn’t contain cocoa beans, and Routhenstein said that the beans that end up in dark and milk chocolate products typically undergo processes that can significantly lower their flavanol content. Elizabeth Yuko, Health, 11 Feb. 2025 Best of all, the decadent base note of this fragrance doesn't come from synthetic scents—instead, upcycled cocoa shells left over from roasted cocoa beans are used to create a fresh-baked aroma, mixed with both bourbon and vanilla beans, and rounded out by a touch of musk. Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 18 Dec. 2024 Though fruit containers have proven reliable, drug traffickers also hide cocaine in shipments of cocoa beans, coffee, fish and porcelain vases, according to Izvestia's sources. Jon Jackson, Newsweek, 21 Jan. 2025 Yeah, it's been something like between 70 and 80% of the world's cocoa beans are coming from West Africa. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cocoa bean 

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cocoa bean was in 1799

Dictionary Entries Near cocoa bean

Cite this Entry

“Cocoa bean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cocoa%20bean. Accessed 25 Feb. 2025.

Medical Definition

cocoa bean

noun

More from Merriam-Webster on cocoa bean

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