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

Infused with skin-loving ingredients like algae extract, cacao peptides and milk thistle, this foundation helps support the skin’s moisture barrier, blur imperfections and reduce the appearance of wrinkles over time. —Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 26 Nov. 2024

That season’s Altuzarra models were the first to experience the glass-skin-making effects of the serum, which blends four types of hyaluronic acid with niacinamide, skin-tightening cacao seed extract, and Japanese goldthread root. —Jenny Berg, Vogue, 24 Nov. 2024

The film, which previously participated in the Venice Production Bridge’s Gap-Financing Market, stars Vega as a woman who returns to Venezuela after two decades to sell her family’s cacao plantation, has recently shifted its shooting location to Colombia. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 Oct. 2024

According to Apolo, theobromine, an alkaloid in the cacao beans used to make chocolate, makes chocolate toxic to canines. —Kelli Bender, People.com, 29 Oct. 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