Chocolat

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term referring to a beloved sweet confection made from roasted and ground cacao seeds ; a French word for the same treat ; the title of a notable French novel, film, or other works featuring this treat
2. A treat produced from the processed seeds of the cacao tree ; a word of French origin denoting a popular sweet ; the name of several artistic works or brands related to this confection
3. A delectable edible created from cacao beans ; a Gallic term used for this dessert ; the designation of various cultural products, such as literature and cinema, involving this confection

Etymology: Before it named a sweet, "chocolat" named a drink. Spanish speakers borrowed the word from Nahuatl, the language of central Mexico, where "xocolatl" most likely combined words for "bitter" and "water," an apt description of the unsweetened cacao beverage people drank there. Spanish colonists carried both the drink and its name back to Europe. From Spanish, the word passed into French, where it first meant that bitter, frothy drink. The French form adapts the Spanish word to French sounds, which is why it ends in a consonant that is not pronounced. Solid eating chocolate came much later and took the same name.

Synonyms: chocolate