'cacao' originates from Spanish, specifically the word 'cacao', which was derived from the Nahuatl word 'cacahuatl', where 'caca-' meant 'cacao' and '-huatl' was a suffix.

'cacahuatl' transformed into the Spanish word 'cacao', and eventually became the modern English word 'cacao'.

Initially, it meant 'cacao seed', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.