cacao bean

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

caca′o bean′, 

1. Plant Biology a seed of the cacao tree.

Also, cocoa bean. 

• 1830–40

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ca•ca•o /kəˈkɑoʊ/   n. [countable] , pl. -os. 

1. Plant Biology a small tropical American evergreen tree grown for its seeds, the source of cocoa and chocolate.
2. Plant Biology Also, cocoa. the fruit or seeds of this tree.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ca•ca•o  (kə kä′ō, -kā′ō), n., pl. -ca•os. 

1. Plant Biology a small tropical American evergreen tree, Theobroma cacao, cultivated for its seeds, the source of cocoa, chocolate, etc.
2. Plant Biology Also, cocoa. the fruit or seeds of this tree.

• Nahuatl cacahuatl cacao seeds
• Spanish
• 1545–55

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

cacao / kəˈkɑːəʊ -ˈkeɪəʊ/ noun

1. a small tropical American evergreen tree, Theobroma cacao, having yellowish flowers and reddish-brown seed pods from which cocoa and chocolate are prepared: family Sterculiaceae
2. cacao bean ⇒
   another name for cocoa bean
3. cacao butter ⇒
   another name for cocoa butter

Etymology: 16th Century: from Spanish, from Nahuatl cacauatl cacao beans