Definition

1. Noun (Botany):

   • Coconut: The large, oval, hard-shelled seed of the coconut palm, containing white edible flesh (the meat) and clear, sweet water.
   • Coconut palm / Coconut tree: The tall tropical palm tree (Cocos nucifera) that bears coconuts.

2. Noun (Botany):

   • Water hyacinth (regional/less common): A type of free-floating aquatic plant.

3. Verb (Colloquial):

   • To palm off / to pass the buck / to dump: To shift or delegate one's own work or responsibility onto someone else, often unfairly.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Coconut):
  • Quả dừa này có rất nhiều nước. (This coconut has a lot of water.)
  • Nhà cô ấy có một vườn dừa rộng. (Her house has a large coconut grove.)
• Verb:
  • Anh ta luôn tìm cách dừa việc khó cho đồng nghiệp. (He always finds a way to dump the difficult work on his colleagues.)

Advanced Usage

• "dừa nước": A specific type of palm (Nypa fruticans) that grows in mangrove swamps, not to be confused with the common coconut palm.
  • Đường làm từ cây dừa nước có hương vị rất đặc biệt. (Sugar made from the nipa palm has a very distinctive flavor.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cây dừa (n): Coconut tree.
• Nước dừa (n): Coconut water (the clear liquid inside a young coconut).
• Cùi dừa / Cơm dừa (n): Coconut meat.
• Dầu dừa (n): Coconut oil.
• Kẹo dừa (n): Coconut candy.

Synonyms

• Coconut: Coco (archaic).
• To palm off: To shirk, to delegate unfairly.

Related Idioms

• Chồng đánh chẳng chừa, đi chợ thì giữ cùi dừa bánh da (proverb): A humorous saying criticizing misplaced priorities, literally "The husband hits without restraint, [yet] at the market she guards the coconut meat and pigskin cake."
• Thiếu đất trồng dừa, thừa đất trồng cau (proverb): Highlights inappropriate planning or resource allocation, literally "Lacking land to plant coconuts, having excess land to plant areca palms."

noun

1. Coconut
   • cây dừa
     coconut-tree
   • nước dừa
     coconut milk