椰（学名：Cocos nucifera）是棕榈科椰属的唯一种大型植物，椰子是椰树的果实，是一种在热带地区很普及的果实。椰子树的普及也在于其果实椰子可以在海中随风浪漂流上千公里后生殖到离母树非常远的地方。一般商业卖出来的椰子在收割时还是绿色的，未成熟的果实，它有点三角形状，足球大小。在泰国南部人们也利用训练好的猕猴来采摘椰子。

一般在外地出售的“椰子”实际上是椰子的棕色的核，也叫作「椰仁」。在这个核外面实际上还有一层很厚的纤维质和一个硬的、绿色的壳。为了节省运输占用的地方，核外的部分一般在运输前就被去掉了。核内含约一升甜的、几乎清晰的汁和白色的、清香的果肉。

The coconut tree (Cocos nucifera) is a member of the family Arecaceae (palm family).

It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which, botanically, is a drupe, not a nut. The spelling cocoanut is an archaic form of the word. The term is derived from the 16th-century Portuguese and Spanish word coco meaning "head" or "skull", from the three indentations on the coconut shell that resemble facial features.