Coconut
/ˈkoʊ.kə.nʌt/noun
The large hard-shelled fruit of the coconut palm, with edible white flesh and liquid inside.
Did you know?The English word entered through Portuguese and Spanish sailors, who used a word for a grinning or ghost-like face to describe the nut’s three germination pores.
Etymological Timeline
16th Century
Portuguese
coco
“A bogeyman, goblin, or face-like head used to frighten children”
16th Century
Spanish
coco
“A bogeyman or scary face; also a skull or head”
16th Century
Portuguese/Spanish
coco de mer / coco
“The coconut was compared to a head or face because of its three dark pores”
16th Century
English
cocounut / coconut
“A coconut, named from the foreign word for a grinning or skull-like head”
Modern English
English
coconut
“The fruit of the coconut palm”