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coco palm

coco palm

3.4
A tall tropical palm tree that grows coconuts
  • noun
  • /ˈkoʊkoʊ pɑːlm/
translation icon : palma de coco
  • He walked up a coco palm, bent double, the afflicted foot and the good one against the trunk and his hands on the far side.

Examples

  • The coco palm swayed gently in the tropical breeze, its coconuts swaying above.

  • In many tropical resorts, you will find coco palms lining the sandy beaches.

  • The gardener planted several coco palms to provide shade and fresh coconuts for the guests.

Synonyms

palm
vscoco palm
116 1.8

A tall tropical tree with one trunk and large fan-shaped leaves

is more specific, meaning the fruit-bearing species rather than the whole family
palm tree
vscoco palm
46 1.0

A tall tree with one straight trunk and big leaves at the top

is narrower, referring specifically to the tropical tree that bears the hard-shelled fruit
coconut
vscoco palm
23 1.0

A tall tropical palm tree that grows large hard fruits

is the term chosen here focusing on the same tree broadly
coconut tree
vscoco palm
4 1.0

A tall tropical palm that grows coconuts near the coast

is used more generally across all tropical regions rather than only coasts
coco
vscoco palm
2 2.6

A tall palm tree that grows a large round fruit with a hard shell in tropical places

is the preferred name used here instead of that variant
coconut palm
vscoco palm
1 2.7

A tall tropical palm tree that grows coconuts

is the general label applied here rather than that phrasing
cocoa palm
vscoco palm
4.0

A tall tropical palm tree that grows coconuts

is the standard spelling used in this resource rather than that form
Cocos nucifera
vscoco palm
  • Specialized
6.8

A tall tropical palm tree that produces coconuts

is the common label used here rather than the technical term

Surface Forms

coco palm singular
coco palms plural

Morphology

coco + palm

The compound 'coco palm' denotes a palm that produces coconuts, a meaning that is directly and compositionally derived from 'coco' (coconut-producing palm/tree) + 'palm' (tropical tree). This noun–noun combination follows a simple, cross-linguistically common compounding pattern, so an average B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the intended referent. Even if 'coco palm' is a less frequent variant of 'coconut palm', the semantics remain transparent.

Etymology

Coco palm comes from the word coco, an old Portuguese word for 'head' or 'face' because the three marks on a coconut look like a simple face, and palm just means the tree. That's why the name coco palm refers to the palm tree that produces coconuts.