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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A tropical American tree (Persea americana) having oval or pear-shaped fruit with leathery skin, yellowish-green flesh, and a large seed.
  2. n. The edible fruit of this tree. Also called alligator pear, avocado pear.
  3. n. A dull green.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. The alligator-pear, the fruit of Persea gratissima, natural order Lauraceœ, a tree common in tropical America and the West Indies. It is from 1 to 2 pounds in weight, is pear-shaped, of a brownishgreen or purple color, and is highly esteemed, though rather as a vegetable than as a fruit. The pulp is firm and marrow-like, whence the fruit is sometimes known as vegetable marrow or midshipmen's butter. The oil is said to be equal to palm oil for soap. The tree is an evergreen, growing to the height of 30 feet. Also avocato, avigato.

Wiktionary

  1. n. The large, usually yellowish-green or black, pulpy fruit of the avocado tree.
  2. n. The avocado tree.
  3. n. A dull yellowish-green colour, the colour of the meat of an avocado.
  4. adj. Of a dull yellowish-green colour.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. The pulpy fruit of Persea gratissima, a tree of tropical America. It is about the size and shape of a large pear; -- called also avocado pear, alligator pear, midshipman's butter.

WordNet 3.0

  1. adj. of the dull yellowish green of the meat of an avocado
  2. n. tropical American tree bearing large pulpy green fruits
  3. n. a pear-shaped tropical fruit with green or blackish skin and rich yellowish pulp enclosing a single large seed

Etymologies

  1. From Spanish aguacate, from Nahuatl ahuacatl. Influenced by confusion with Spanish abogado ("lawyer"). (Wiktionary)
  2. American Spanish, alteration (influenced by obsolete Spanish avocado, lawyer) of Nahuatl ahuacatl. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

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Lists

These user-created lists contain the word ‘avocado’.

Comments

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  • milosrdenstvi I experienced it as referring to both. Oct 2, 2010

  • yarb However I'm not sure whether palta refers to the fruit or just to its flesh, the part that you eat. Oct 2, 2010

  • yarb palta is the word in most of South and Central America in my experience. Oct 2, 2010

  • milosrdenstvi In Peru, the word is completely different -- palta. Oct 2, 2010

  • fbharjo Spanish tried to borrow the Nahuatl word for this fruit, ahuacatl "tree testicle", but found it difficult to pronounce. The Nahuatl word was first changed to aguacate, a word seemingly containing agua "water", but later this word was replaced by avocado "lawyer" (abogado today), a word sharing an origin with English advocate. Oct 2, 2010

  • madmouth from Nahuatl "ahuacatl"--testicle.

    also, ezola--this website says that the Spanish heard 'ahuacatl' as a word they had already, that is 'avocado' (lawyer). the French is no coincidence. Apr 28, 2009

  • fbharjo perhaps related to bocado spanish for delicacy Feb 4, 2009

  • ezola Avocado in French is avocat, which also means attorney. Dec 31, 2008

  • bilby "Having been previously raised by wolves, I'm now learning the little things that only those who are loved get to learn, like how to smile in a photograph and the most efficient way to peel an avocado."
    - user NoAffectation, webook.com, 24 Nov 2008. Nov 26, 2008

  • pterodactyl See comments at aphrodisiac. May 7, 2008

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‘avocado’ has been looked up 3150 times, loved by 3 people, added to 55 lists, commented on 10 times, and has a Scrabble score of 13.