dragon fruit

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search
See also: dragonfruit

English

[edit]
Dragon fruit on a market stall in Taiwan

Alternative forms

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

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

[edit]
  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈdɹæɡ.ən ˌfɹuːt/

Noun

[edit]

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

[edit]

Descendants

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

Translations

[edit]

References

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

Further reading

[edit]