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Glite Dictionary
genus Theobroma

genus Theobroma

8.3
A group of tropical American trees and shrubs that includes the cacao tree used to make chocolate
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒɛnəs θiˈoʊbroʊmə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : género Theobroma
  • Interestingly, the cacao tree is a species of the genus Theobroma, which translates from the Latin as the "food of the gods."

Examples

  • The cacao plant belongs to the genus Theobroma, which is famous for its chocolate-producing seeds.

  • Botanists classify the cacao tree within the genus Theobroma, highlighting its importance in chocolate production.

  • Horticulturists study the genus Theobroma to understand the cultivation of cacao, the source of chocolate.

Synonyms

Theobroma
vsgenus Theobroma
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A group of tropical trees that includes the cacao tree making cocoa beans

includes both trees and shrubs, covering a slightly wider group of plants

Surface Forms

genus Theobroma singular
genera Theobroma plural

Morphology

genus + Theobroma

This phrase is compositionally transparent: it combines the taxonomic head 'genus' with the proper name 'Theobroma', so a learner who knows both constituents will readily infer it refers to the genus called Theobroma (the group of related species such as cacao). Although botanical terminology is specialized and may be low-frequency, the syntactic and semantic composition follows a cross-linguistically common pattern, making the meaning predictable.

Etymology

Genus Theobroma comes from Greek parts theo, meaning 'god', and broma, meaning 'food', so the name means 'food of the gods'. That's why this name is used for the group of trees, like the cacao tree, whose seeds are used to make 'chocolate'.