1. Large hard-shelled oval nut with a fibrous husk containing thick white meat surrounding a central cavity filled (when fresh) with fluid or milk; SYN. cocoanut.
2. Tall palm tree bearing coconuts as fruits; widely planted throughout the tropics; SYN. coconut palm, coco palm, coco, cocoa palm, coconut tree, Cocos nucifera.
3. The edible white meat a coconut; often shredded for use in e.g. cakes and curries; SYN. coconut meat.
Fruit of the coconut palm Cocos nucifera of the family Arecaceae, which grows throughout the lowland tropics. The fruit has a large outer husk of fibers, which is split off and used for coconut matting and ropes. Inside this is the nut exported to temperate countries. Its hard shell contains white flesh and coconut milk, both of which are nourishing and palatable.
The white meat can be eaten, or dried prior to the extraction of its oil, which makes up nearly two-thirds of it. The oil is used in the making of soap and margarine and in cooking; the residue is used in cattle feed.