chocolate

[chaw-kuh-lit, chok-uh-, chawk-lit, chok-]

noun

1. a preparation of the seeds of cacao, roasted, husked, and ground, often sweetened and flavored, as with vanilla.

2. a beverage made by dissolving such a preparation in milk or water, served hot or cold.

   a cup of hot chocolate.

3. candy made from such a preparation.

4. an individual piece of this candy.

5. any syrup or flavoring made from this preparation or artificially imitating its flavor.

6. a dark brown color.

adjective

1. made, flavored, or covered with chocolate.

   chocolate cake; chocolate ice cream.

2. having the color of chocolate; dark-brown.

chocolate

/ -lət, ˈtʃɒklɪt, ˈtʃɒkəlɪt /

noun

1. a food preparation made from roasted ground cacao seeds, usually sweetened and flavoured

2. a drink or sweetmeat made from this

3. 1. a moderate to deep brown colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      a chocolate carpet

Other Word Forms

• chocolaty adjective
• chocolatey adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of chocolate¹

First recorded in 1600–1610; from Spanish, from Nahuatl chocolātl, from chocol-, of unknown meaning (but perhaps from xococ “bitter, sour”) + ātl “water”

Word History and Origins

Origin of chocolate¹

C17: from Spanish, from Aztec xocolatl, from xococ sour, bitter + atl water

Example Sentences

Sharing a chocolate bar, or making each other a coffee, helped to raise their spirits.

From BBC

He told multiple relatives he thought the blood in the bed was chocolate.

From BBC

Groom took issue with screenwriter Eric Roth’s rewrite of his book’s line about chocolates, but another “Forrest Gump” catchphrase the screenwriter originated himself is more appropriate today than ever: “Stupid is as stupid does.”

From Salon

The butter is also used in the food industry in the production of some sweets like chocolate and ice creams - and in pharmaceuticals too.

From BBC

When I visited Mr Baker's dairy on a sunny August day, staff were pumping chocolate orange ice cream into pots.

From BBC

Related Words

• candy 
• confection 
• dessert 
• snack 

When To Use

Spelling tips for chocolate

The word chocolate is hard to spell because the second o is often not emphasized when pronounced—many people say [ chawk-lit ], not [ chok-uh-lit ]. Also, the final syllable -late is pronounced [ lit ], not like the word late. How to spell chocolate: You can remember how the word chocolate starts by remembering that it is sometimes abbreviated as choco, as in choco chips and Choco Taco. You can remember the ending by remembering that chocolate is often eaten as dessert, meaning that it’s eaten late.