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Glite Dictionary
cocoa plum

cocoa plum

8.9
A tropical American shrub or small tree with edible fruit like a plum used in jams and desserts
  • noun
  • US
translation icon : ciruela de cacao
  • The jam was made from cocoa plum picked fresh that morning.

Examples

  • In some Caribbean countries, cocoa plum is a popular ingredient in desserts.

  • The cocoa plum tree grows well in tropical climates.

  • We found wild cocoa plum while exploring the coastal forest.

  • I love eating cocoa plums in the summer.

  • In some Caribbean countries, cocoa plum is a popular ingredient in desserts.

  • The jam was made from cocoa plum picked fresh that morning.

  • I love eating cocoa plum straight off the tree during the summer.

Synonyms

Chrysobalanus icaco
vscocoa plum
  • Specialized
9.9

A small tropical tree that makes edible fruit like small plums

is the everyday name for the plant and fruit used in jams and desserts
icaco
vscocoa plum
  • Specialized
9.9

A small tropical tree from the Americas that has fruit like a plum

is the plant or fruit term often used in cooking and desserts
coco plum
vscocoa plum
  • US
8.3

A small plum-shaped tropical fruit with light to dark skin used to make jam

is the broader plant or fruit name often used for jams and desserts
coco plum tree
vscocoa plum
  • US
8.3

A small tropical tree that makes sweet fruit like plums near the coast

is the general plant or fruit term used for cooking rather than habitat

Surface Forms

cocoa plum singular
cocoa plums plural

Morphology

cocoa + plum

The head 'plum' clearly signals a fruit and 'cocoa' evokes cacao/chocolate, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents could plausibly infer this denotes a kind of plum related to cocoa. However, the term is a lexicalized plant name whose specific referent and the exact relation to 'cocoa' are not fully predictable from the parts, making it only partially transparent.

Etymology

Cocoa plum probably comes from a simple picture: the fruit looks like a small plum and is often dark like cocoa, so people called the plant a cocoa plum. That's why the name now means the tropical shrub or tree and its edible fruit used in jams and desserts.