English Explanatory Dictionary

dragon fruit

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  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.

Pronunciation

/ˈdɹæɡ.ən ˌfɹuːt/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-dragon fruit.wav

Word forms

dragon fruit dragon fruits dragonfruit

Etymology

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.

Synonyms

pitaya strawberry pear
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