English Reference
noun

cocoa

n.
US /ˈkoʊkoʊ/ UK /kˈəʊkəʊ/ co·coa UK spelling cocoas

  1. 01 B1 Intermediate Cooking

    a brown powder made from crushed beans, used to make chocolate or for baking.

    the unsweetened powder produced by roasting and grinding the fatty seeds of the cacao tree.

    Simple

    The recipe says to sift the cocoa with the flour before adding the eggs.

    In context

    High-quality cocoa contains a significant percentage of cocoa butter, which contributes to the rich texture of the finished ganache.

  2. 02 B1 Intermediate

    a warm, sweet drink made by mixing cocoa powder with hot milk or water.

    a beverage consisting of cocoa powder, sugar, and a liquid base, typically milk.

    Simple

    We sat by the fire and drank hot cocoa after a long day of skiing.

    In context

    The children requested mugs of cocoa topped with marshmallows to warm themselves after playing in the snow for several hours.

    hot chocolate
  3. 03 B2 Upper Intermediate Science

    the seeds of a tropical tree that are used to make chocolate.

    the dried and partially fermented fatty seeds of the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao.

    Simple

    The farmers harvest the cocoa pods and dry the beans in the sun.

    In context

    Fluctuations in the global price of raw cocoa have a direct impact on the profit margins of artisanal chocolate manufacturers.

    cacao beans
  4. 04 C2 Proficiency Technical Computing

    a set of tools used by programmers to build software for Apple computers.

    an object-oriented application programming interface (API) for the macOS operating system.

    Simple

    The developer used Cocoa to create the new app for the Mac.

    In context

    Proficiency in the Cocoa framework is essential for engineers specialising in native desktop applications for the Apple ecosystem.


Etymology 1

From Spanish cacao, from Classical Nahuatl cacahuatl. The form cocoa came about by confusion with coco, popularized by Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language. Doublet of cacao.

Etymology 2

By confusion with cocoa, popularized by Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin nci cacahuatl
Level B1 · Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated