The origin of the word cocoa in English can be traced back to French explorer François Froger’s 1698 account of his travels in Africa and the Americas. Initially, the term was used to describe the cacao tree, which produces the seeds used to make chocolate. Over time, the word was influenced by the similar-sounding word coco, meaning “coconut palm”, leading to its current form. This error was solidified when Samuel Johnson included it in his highly influential Dictionary of the English Language in 1755. The original word, cacao, is derived from the Nahuatl word cacahuatl, which can be traced back to Proto-Nahuan kakawatl. Interestingly, the word coco comes from Spanish and Portuguese, meaning “grinning face”, based on the resemblance of coconuts to a smiling face.
