pomelo
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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Alternative forms
Etymology
Of uncertain etymology, though possibly a variant of earlier pampelmoes,[1] from French, Dutch, Portuguese sources ultimately equivalent to "thick lemon"[2] or transcribing the Tamil பம்ப ளிமாசு (pampa ḷimācu, “big citrus”). Alternatively, possibly from pome (“apple”) + melon or some cognate; though such a compound is currently unattested, some early variant spellings seem to show influence from pome.[1]
Pronunciation
Noun
pomelo (plural pomelos or pomeloes)
- The large fruit of the Citrus maxima (syn. C. grandis), native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, with a thick green or yellow rind, a thick white pith, and semi-sweet translucent pale flesh.
- Synonyms: (India) jabong, (South Africa) pampelmoes, (chiefly Caribbean) shaddock, Chinese grapefruit
- The tree which produces this fruit.
- (US, Caribbean, historical) The grapefruit.
- 1888, Bulletin, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Division of Pomology, page 78:
- SHADDOCK, AND POMELO, OR GRAPE-FRUIT. (Citrus aurantium decumana.*) The cultivation of these fruits is extendiug gradually, especially of the pomelo, which is a first-class marketable fruit, very valuable in the spring and early summer.
- 1891, Bulletin No. 1-10, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Division of Pomology, page 79:
- Pomelo.* — Much larger than an orange and smaller than a shaddock; a delicious fruit, preferred by many to the orange. Skin smooth, pale yellow; subacid. The membrane dividing the pulp is bitter, and must be removed before eating the pulp. Also called "grape-fruit" from its habit of growing in clusters.
- 1891 March, R M Lelong, “From Seed to Grove”, in The Great Southwest, page 3:
- POMELO (syn. grape fruit).—A variety of shaddock; fruit very large, from two to five pounds each, pale yellow, resembling the citron; skin smooth; pulp sub-acid. / SHADDOCK.—Tree inclined to be dwarf; fruit very large, with smooth skin, pale yellow and very glossy; the rind is very thick and spongy, and very bitter; ornamental only
- 1904, Earley Vernon Wilcox, Clarence Beaman Smith, Farmer's Cyclopedia of Agriculture, page 241:
- Pomelo (Citrus decumana) — The commercial term grape fruit is synonymous with pomelo, while shaddock, a term sometimes reserved for these fruits, is more properly applied to a large pyriform or necked variety of the pomelo. This variety sometimes reaches a weight of 15 pounds or more. Within the last few years the smaller pomelo has become very popular in Northern markets and extensive orchards are being rapidly set out in Florida, which is the state of largest production. The pomelo is somewhat larger than the orange and of a pale yellow color.
- 1911, Good Housekeeping Magazine, page 106:
- The pomelo has unfortunately been marketed under the name “grape-fruit,” and it is doubtful whether the correct name, pomelo, will ever displace the trade name.
Synonyms
- (grapefruit): See grapefruit
Derived terms
Descendants
Translations
large fruit of the C. maxima or grandis
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tree
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grapefruit — see grapefruit
References
- “pomelo, n.”, in the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- “pampelmoes, n.”, in the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Further reading
Anagrams
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