*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of cacao

From Spanish cacao, from Classical Nahuatl cacahuatl. Doublet of cocoa.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A tree, Theobroma cacao, whose seed is used to make chocolate. · The seed of this tree, the cocoa bean. · Cocoa (hot drink).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Spanish cacao, from Classical Nahuatl cacahuatl. Doublet of cocoa.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es",
        "3": "cacao"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish cacao"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nci",
        "3": "cacahuatl"
      },
      "expansion": "Classical Nahuatl cacahuatl"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cocoa"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of cocoa"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "cacao",
      "cacao#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "cacahuatl",
      "cacahuatl#Classical_Nahuatl"
    ],
    [
      "cocoa",
      "cocoa#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A tree, Theobroma cacao, whose seed is used to make chocolate.",
        "The seed of this tree, the cocoa bean.",
        "Cocoa (hot drink)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable",
        "rare"
      ],
      "recordId": "cf78f10865c570a91d8a011cfc397057b8d25bb3f923aaa69dda4a3c382ca72a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "1480839c485141590894b1228168af4d8ec26a2b5bef94f52227048a349d72c2",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 182593
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for cacao →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Y2FjYW8