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coconut tree

coconut tree

4 1.0
A tall tropical palm that grows coconuts near the coast
  • noun
  • /ˈkoʊkəˌnʌt tri/
translation icon : cocotero
  • We could see coconut trees and the sun shimmering on the water like diamonds.
  • climb a coconut tree
  • a tall coconut tree
  • the trunk of a coconut tree

Examples

  • It sits snugly under the canopy of a lush mango tree surrounded by coconut trees all around, a typical farmer's house in their small village in Gumaca, Quezon.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • It is more common to be told "turn left at the road past the third coconut tree" than to be given a street address.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Look at that huge coconut tree!

  • Right where that coconut tree is.

  • In Florida, you got a terrific amount of coconut trees there.

  • A big concern for the people there is, they are beginning to see softening of the coconut trees.

  • The brightly lit house is surrounded by coconut trees.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • In the distance, almond and coconut trees sway in the breeze.

    Blog text (7)
  • Most women still climb the slender trunks of coconut trees to cut young leaves and make their own grass skirts.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Kamal climbed slowly to the top of the coconut tree, perhaps 50 feet high.

Synonyms

coconut
vscoconut tree
23 1.0

A tall tropical palm tree that grows large hard fruits

is focused on its coastal habitat rather than the botanical or fruit details
coco
vscoconut tree
2 2.6

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

is mainly found naturally in warm coastal areas rather than widely cultivated
coconut palm
vscoconut tree
1 2.7

A tall tropical palm tree that grows coconuts

is mainly found naturally on coasts rather than primarily cultivated
Cocos nucifera
vscoconut tree
  • Specialized
6.8

A tall tropical palm tree that produces coconuts

is the common regional name stressing coastal occurrence rather than scientific label
coco palm
vscoconut tree
3.4

A tall tropical palm tree that grows coconuts

is more associated with coastal locations rather than wide cultivation across tropics
cocoa palm
vscoconut tree
4.0

A tall tropical palm tree that grows coconuts

emphasizes cultivation across tropics rather than natural coastal prevalence

How Tall

palm tree
46 1.0
coconut tree
4 1.0
sapling
16 2.7
seedling
20 2.8

Surface Forms

coconut tree singular
coconut trees plural

Morphology

coconut + tree

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'coconut' (a palm that bears coconuts) with 'tree' (a tall perennial plant); the phrase simply names a tree that produces coconuts. This compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows straightforward noun-noun modification, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

The noun coconut tree is the tall tree that produces the fruit called a coconut. One popular story says sailors called the nut 'coco' because the three holes on its shell looked like a little 'face', so the coconut became the name of the nut and the coconut tree is simply the tree that grows those face-like nuts.