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carob

American  
[kar-uhb] / ˈkær əb /

noun

  • carobs
    plural
  1. a Mediterranean tree, Ceratonia siliqua, of the legume family, bearing long, leathery pods containing hard seeds and sweet, edible pulp.

  2. Also called St. John's-bread, algarroba, locust bean. the pod of this tree, the source of various foodstuffs, including a substitute for chocolate, as well as substances having several industrial uses, and sometimes used as food for animals.

  3. a powder made from the ground pods and seeds of this tree and used in cooking, especially as a substitute for chocolate.


carob British  
/ ˈkærəb /

noun

  1. Also called: algarroba. an evergreen leguminous Mediterranean tree, Ceratonia siliqua, with compound leaves and edible pods

  2. Also called: algarroba, Saint John's bread. the long blackish sugary pod of this tree, used as a substitute for chocolate and for animal fodder

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of carob

1540–50; < Middle French carobe < Medieval Latin carrūbium < Arabic kharrūb bean-pods, carobs


Vocabulary lists containing carob

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The company opened its production facility in March, where staff process not cacao beans but carob husks.

From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2025

He acknowledges that carob "really doesn't taste like chocolate" but adds that Foreverland's fermentation and roasting process removes some of the carob flavour to get it closer to cocoa.

From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2025

Eventually, he settled on the eight most frequently mentioned: desert dates, Yemeni Sidr honey, sycamore figs, Israeli golden raisins, prickly juniper berries, carob fruit, black cumin and frankincense.

From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2024

I thought bulk bins full of carob-covered raisins were long in my past, so imagine my surprise that carob has made a resurgence of sorts.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 8, 2024

I envisioned her skin the same carob color as my father’s, her eyes as black and her lips as full as his.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

Greek landowners in the craggy Troodos Mountains leased their pastures to Turkish shepherds; Turkish shopkeepers bought oranges and carobs from Greek farmers.

From Time Magazine Archive

Mird lives near by, among his peas, vines and carobs, in a house cluttered by found objects and rustic earthenware.

From Time Magazine Archive

Greek landowners in the jagged Troodos Mountains leased their pastures to Turkish shepherds; Turkish shopkeepers bought oranges and carobs from Greek farmers.

From Time Magazine Archive

At one time carobs were used in Cyprus for fattening mules and other animals, but, unfortunately, this practice died out.

From Notes on Agriculture in Cyprus and Its Products by William Bevan

Barley and wheat, carobs and raisins may be specially indicated among the agricultural exports.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 8 "Cube" to "Daguerre, Louis" by Various

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