English Explanatory Dictionary

medlar

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Mespilus germanica, common medlar (now often Crataegus germanica).
  2. Any tree of the genus Mespilus, now Crataegus sect. Mespilus, including many species now in other genera.
  3. Any of several similar trees that bear similar fruit:
  4. Stern's medlar (Crataegus × canescens: family Rosaceae).
  5. Mediterranean medlar or azarole (Crataegus azarolus: family Rosaceae).
  6. Japanese medlar or loquat (Eriobotrya japonica: family Rosaceae).
  7. Spanish medlar or bulletwood (Mimusops elengi: family Sapotaceae).
  8. African medlar (Vangueria infausta: family Rubiaceae).
  9. Wolfberry, goji, red medlar (Lycium spp.).
  10. The fruit of such trees, similar to small apples
  11. The fruit of such trees, similar to small apples:
  12. Especially that of Crataegus sect. Mespilus, not eaten until it has begun to decay, or more specifically, to blet.

Pronunciation

/ˈmɛdlə/ /ˈmɛdlɚ/ /ˈmedlɘ/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-medlar.wav

Word forms

medlar medlars

Etymology

From Middle English medler, medeler, from Old French medler, meslier, from medle, mesdle (“medlar fruit”), from Latin mespilum, from Ancient Greek μέσπιλον (méspilon). Related to the rare mesple, via Proto-West Germanic *mespilā. Displaced Old English openærs (“open-arse”) (and similar names, from anatomical comparison).

Synonyms

open-arse

Derived words

African medlar common medlar Dutch medlar Japan medlar Japanese medlar Mediterranean medlar Neapolitan medlar red medlar Savoy medlar Spanish medlar (Mimusops elengi Stern's medlar Welsh medlar

Translations

Abkhaz: а-ба́цә Abkhaz: а-мушмула Albanian: mushmollë Arabic: مُشْمُلَة Arabic: إِسْكِدُنْيَا Arabic: زُعْرُور Arabic: مُصَع Armenian: սգռենի Armenian: զղյարենի Armenian: զկեռենի Armenian: զկեռ Asturian: cadapanal Asturian: nesperal Asturian: niésperu Azerbaijani: əzgil Basque: mizpirondo Basque: mizpira Bats: სიმაჲრტყლი̂ Bulgarian: мушмула Catalan: nespler Catalan: nesprer Chechen: хьамц Danish: mispel Dutch: mispelboom Dutch: mispelaar Esperanto: mespilujo Esperanto: mespilarbo Finnish: mispeli French: néflier Friulian: gnespolâr Galician: nespereira Georgian: ზღმარტლი German: Mispel Ancient Greek: μέσπιλον Hungarian: naspolya Ingush: хьамиск Irish: meispeal Gearmánach Italian: nespolo Latin: mespilum Laz: ცხიმუნტური Macedonian: мушмула Middle English: medler Mingrelian: ცქუმუნტური Mingrelian: ბაცუ Occitan: nesplièr Occitan: mesplièr Ossetian: мугӕ Ossetian: мантъылы Persian: ازگیل Polish: nieszpułka Portuguese: nespereira Romanian: moșmon Romanian: mușmul Russian: мушмула́ Serbo-Croatian: мушмула Slovene: nešplja Spanish: níspero (europeo) Spanish: níspero
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