dragon fruit

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See also: dragonfruit

English

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Dragon fruit on a market stall in Taiwan

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From dragon +‎ fruit; most likely a calque or literal translation of a term in a Southeast Asian language (compare Chinese 火龍果火龙果 (huǒlóngguǒ, literally fiery dragon fruit). Initial English texts cite Vietnamese thanh long; however, this was constructed differently, being a Sino-Vietnamese term for "Azure Dragon" (青龍) re-used to reference the green, "unripe" color of the fruit. First attributed in 1963.[1][2]

Pronunciation

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  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈdɹæɡ.ən ˌfɹuːt/

Noun

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dragon fruit (plural dragon fruits)

  1. The fruit of certain cacti of the genus (Stenocereus (syn. Hylocereus) spp.), cultivated in Southeast Asia and Central and South America, having cerise-pink- or yellow-coloured skin and a white or pink sweet fleshy interior with black seeds.

Synonyms

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Descendants

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  • Dutch: drakenvrucht (calque)
  • Thai: แก้วมังกร (gɛ̂ɛo-mang-gɔɔn) (calque)

Translations

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References

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  1. ^ dragon fruit, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2019.
  2. ^ dragon fruit”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Further reading

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