cacao

ca·ca·o   (kə-kou', -kā'ō)    n.   pl. ca·ca·os An evergreen tropical American tree (Theobroma cacao) having leathery, ellipsoid, ten-ribbed fruits borne on the trunks and older branches. Also called chocolate tree. The seed of this plant, used in making chocolate, cocoa, and cocoa butter. Also called cacao bean, cocoa bean. [Spanish, from Nahuatl cacahuatl.]

Main Entry: ca·cao
Pronunciation: k&-'kau, k&-'kA-(")O
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural cacaos
1 : the driedpartly fermented fatty seeds of a So. American evergreen tree (Theobroma cacao of the family Sterculiaceae) that are used in making cocoa, chocolate, and cocoa butter called also cacaobean, cocoa bean
2 : a tree having small yellowish flowers followed by fleshy pods with many seeds that bear cacao called also chocolate tree