chocolate tree
- noun
- /ˈtʃɔkəlɪt tri/
- Watering a chocolate tree every day will yield in root rot and the plant dying.
Examples
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The chocolate tree produces cacao beans that are used to make delicious chocolate.
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Many farmers in tropical regions grow the chocolate tree for its valuable seeds.
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The chocolate tree thrives in warm climates with plenty of rainfall and sunlight.
Synonyms
A tropical tree that produces seeds used to make chocolate
A tropical tree that produces the beans used to make chocolate
A tropical tree whose seeds, called cacao beans, people use to make chocolate and cocoa
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is compositionally built: 'chocolate' qualifies the noun 'tree', so a learner can infer it denotes a tree associated with chocolate (i.e. the source of cacao beans). Noun+noun type compounds of this kind are cross‑linguistically common and therefore a B1 learner who knows both words would readily grasp the intended meaning.
Etymology
Chocolate tree names a real tree that grows seeds called cacao beans, which people use to make chocolate. Because the sweet 'chocolate' comes from this plant, the name reminds you that the tree is the source of the food.