Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A deciduous Asian tree (Prunus armeniaca) having alternate leaves and clusters of usually white flowers.
- n. The edible yellow-orange fruit of this tree.
- n. A moderate, light, or strong orange to strong orange yellow.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A roundish
- n. pubescent, orange-colored fruit, of a rich aromatic flavor, the produce of a tree of the plum kind, Prunus Armeniaca, natural order Rosaceæ. Its specific name is due to the belief that it is a native of Armenia, but it is now supposed to be of Chinese origin. It grows wild in the Himalayas and Northwestern Provinces of India, where its fruit is gathered in great quantities. It was introduced into England in 1524, by the gardener of Henry VIII. The tree rises to the height of from 15 to 20 and even 30 feet, and its flowers appear before its leaves. In cultivation it is often propagated by budding upon plum-stocks. There is a considerable number of varieties, some of them with sweet kernels which may be eaten like almonds. The wild apricot of the West Indies is the Mammea Americana; that of Guiana, the Couroupita Guianensis. Formerly also spelled
apricock .
Wiktionary
- n. A round sweet and juicy stone fruit, resembling peach or plum in taste, with a yellow-orange flesh, lightly fuzzy skin and a large seed inside.
- n. The apricot tree, Prunus armeniaca
- n. A pale yellow-orange colour, like that of an apricot fruit.
- n. the junction of the brain and brain stem on a target, used as an aiming point to ensure a one-shot kill.
- adj. of a pale yellowish-orange colour, like that of an apricot.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Bot.) A fruit allied to the plum, of an orange color, oval shape, and delicious taste; also, the tree (Prunus Armeniaca of Linnæus) which bears this fruit. By cultivation it has been introduced throughout the temperate zone.
WordNet 3.0
- n. downy yellow to rosy-colored fruit resembling a small peach
- n. Asian tree having clusters of usually white blossoms and edible fruit resembling the peach
- n. a shade of pink tinged with yellow
Etymologies
- Alteration (under the influence of French abricot) of apricock, itself an alteration (under influence of Latin apricum 'sunny place') of abrecock, from dialectal Catalan abrecoc, abercoc, variant of standard albercoc, from Arabic البرقوق (al-barqūq) 'plums', from Byzantine Greek βερικοκκία (berikókkia) (pl.), from Late Greek πραικὄκιον (praikókion), from Late Latin (persica) præcocia (pl.), (mālum) præcoquum, neuter of Latin (persicum) præcox, literally 'over-ripe peach'. (Wiktionary)
- Alteration of earlier abrecock, ultimately from Arabic al-barqūq, the plum : al-, the + barqūq, plum (from Greek praikokion, apricot, from Latin praecoquus, ripe early : prae-, pre- + coquere, to cook, ripen. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“WORD CORRECT PRONUNCIATION alma mater _alma mater_ apparatus _apparatus_ apricot _apricot_ attaché _attasha'_ audacious _audashus_ ballet _bal'la_ blasé _blaza'_ blatant _blatant_ chasten _chasen_”
“The tiny casita glowed in apricot hues and beamed welcoming blue trim around the doorway.”
“It was there to reassure the audience that despite his spending his day among television stars, Pulitzer Prize winning playwrights, flamboyant costume designers, and other writers, not to mention beautiful actresses bedecked in apricot bows, that Rob was still a regular guy.”
“The apricot is the commonest fruit, and there are many different kinds varying considerably in colour and flavour; perhaps one of the best is a white fleshed variety called "kaisi.”
Connecting Histories in Afghanistan: Market Relations and State Formation on a Colonial Frontier
“The dried apricot is tasty to eat by itself, but the best part is the tiny kernel hidden inside.”
“There are four flavors, but my favorite is walnut raisin apricot.”
“I may add, as a curious fact, that, in the south of Italy, of which I am a native, the common people call the apricot _verricocca_, and _the peach_”
“The apricot is a delicious flavor that blends well with the taste of the green tea.”
“(others speak of the apricot, which is abundant and deliciously perfumed.)”
“I thought when I saw that first shot, then skimmed down to the word "apricot" and others, that I was seeing a picture of two-toned mold!”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘apricot’.
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SCIE - EU nomenclature
All the scientific words found in the official EU nomenclature. For the screening I used Vocabgrabber of the Visual Thesaurus.
abdominal, absorbent, accelerator, accumulator, acebutolol, acetamide, acetanilide, acetate, acetic acid, acetone, acetous, acetyl and 1171 more...
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CULI - wine-tasting adjectives
In this area of expertise nouns are frequently used as adjectives (almond, bacon, cider, diesel, fennel, fresh-cut hay, wool) or new adjectives are formed (appley, berrylike, citrusy, full-bodied, ...
acetic, acidic, aged, angular, appley, astringent, attractive, austere, berrylike, big, bitter, brawny and 511 more...
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Words without the letter E
chord, slur, anabaptist, anabolic, diabolic, turbid, torpid, somniloquist, trump, bipolar, dioxin, hydrocarbon and 107 more...
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Of Arabic Origin
Arabic loanwords in English are words acquired directly from Arabic or else indirectly by passing from Arabic into other languages and then into English. Most entered one or more of the Romance lan...
admiral, adobe, albatross, alchemy, alcohol, alcove, alembic, alfalfa, algebra, algorism, algorithm, alidade and 181 more...
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IMCO - EU nomenclature
includes words of the "Prodcom list"
abaca, abdominal, abrasive, absorbent, absorber, accelerator, accessory, account book, accumulator, acebutolol, acetaldehyde, acetamide and 4515 more...
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Uncommon Colours
azure, myrtle, periwinkle, viridian, jade, emerald, lime, chartreuse, asparagus, celadon, harlequin, olive and 147 more...
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Crayon Colors
This is a continuing list of Crayon Colors past and present. As I find new ones added to the "box", I will add them here as well!
black, blue, brown, apricot, bittersweet, blue green, blue violet, brick red, burnt sienna, carnation pink, cornflower, flesh and 134 more...
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HU Realia
Cultural realia from Hungary.
I have only included realia that already have an English spelling variant and DID NOT include Hungarian words that would be used in English texts unchang...charcoal kiln, embroidered felt ..., farmstead, golden stick, graft, herdsman’s whip, inn, lever well, limekiln, local border traffic, maypole, merino and 356 more...
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Words that start with A
alphabet, alligator, ate, actual, annual, activity, analyze, ability, astronaut, add, ape, aches and 20 more...
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Oranges
amber, apricot, carrot, brown, burnt, gamboge, peach, pumpkin, safety, tangerine, tawny, tenne and 2 more...
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Colour Me Happy
violet, lavender, rose, eggshell, mauve, fuschia, grey, azure, almond, sienna, purple, periwinkle and 71 more...
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Orange
amber, apricot, carrot, burnt, papaya, flame, persimmon, peach, rust, tangerine, tangelo, sunset
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Colors/Patterns/Prints/Textures
fritillary, chartreuse, tortoise-shell, brindle, burnt orange, cerulean, amaranth, sandy, amber, mold, fungus, kiwi and 65 more...
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Yellows
sunflower, sunshine, amber, apricot, corn, cream, goldenrod, gold, flax, gamboge, lemon, mustard and 2 more...
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Jams, Jellies, and Preserves
I've thought of a few of the most common sorts. Additions sought.
traffic, door, toe, fish, wildlife, bean, strawberry, apricot, raspberry, blackberry, boysenberry, grape and 51 more...
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Gas-Inducing Foodstuffs
Foods that produce flatulence. List title a shameless filching of a fortuitous phrase yarb introduced in his definition of scotch egg. I know everyone has a few foods they avoid at certain times ...
scotch egg, cabbage, chili beans, garbanzo beans, chickpeas, hummus, pickled eggs, rutabaga, radish, jerusalem artichoke, brussels sprouts, cauliflower and 42 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for apricot.

hernesheir US Railway Association, Standard Cipher Code, 1906: Telegraphers' shorthand notation meaning "advise what arrangement you make". Jan 19, 2013
Zooman In California, where apricots are grown, and the West in general, the word is pronounced with a long A, as in ape. Jun 24, 2009
kewpid How is it precocious? Jun 12, 2008
fbharjo the precocious fruit Feb 9, 2007
haguremetaru hehe! this one brought a giggle and a smile! =D Dec 9, 2006