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  1. durian love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A tree (Durio zibethinus) of southeast Asia, bearing edible fruit.
  2. n. The fruit of this plant, having a hard, prickly rind and soft pulp with an offensive odor but a pleasant taste.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. A tree, the Durio Zibethinus.
  2. n. The fruit of this tree.

Wiktionary

  1. n. Any of several trees, genus Durio, of southeast Asia.
  2. n. The spiky edible fruit of this tree, known for its unpleasant odor.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. (Bot.) The fruit of the durio. It is oval or globular, and eight or ten inches long. It has a hard prickly rind, containing a soft, cream-colored pulp, of a most delicious flavor and a very offensive odor. The seeds are roasted and eaten like chestnuts.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. huge fruit native to southeastern Asia `smelling like Hell and tasting like Heaven'; seeds are roasted and eaten like nuts
  2. n. tree of southeastern Asia having edible oval fruit with a hard spiny rind

Etymologies

  1. From Malay durian, from Proto-Malayic *duri-an, from Proto-Western Malayo-Polynesian *duʀi-an. (Wiktionary)
  2. Malay durian, from duri, thorn. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

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equivalents (1)

Other words for ‘durian’

  1. durion

hypernyms (2)

Words that are more generic or abstract

  1. edible fruit
  1. fruit tree

same context (24)

Words that are found in similar contexts

  1. pacer
  2. Areca
  3. frankreich
  4. patching
  1. Pinang
  2. figurin
  3. ev'n
  4. reverse-osmosis
  1. sugar cane
  2. toshow
  3. larma
  4. buri
  1. Vaseline
  2. breadfruit
  3. berry-like
  4. granola
  1. stilyagi
  2. swampland
  3. betel nut
  4. orphanage
  1. stayin
  2. bell-ringers
  3. well-ripened
  4. second-most

reverse dictionary (1)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. durio

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Lists

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

Comments

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  • ruzuzu Me: "A tofu bánh mì and a boba tea, please."
    Cashier: "Boba tea.... What flavor?"
    Me: "Durian."
    Cashier: "You sure? Have you ever tried it?"
    Me: "No... it's okay. I'm sure."

    She shook her head at me, but wrote it down on the ticket. Later she caught a whiff of it as she was handing it to me. She looked disgusted. Boba tea, also called bubble tea, is the drink that looks like a polka-dot milkshake with colored tapioca pearls in it. Today, because of the durian flavor, the pearls reminded me of pearl onions. It did seem to have a hint of almonds... and gym socks.
    Jun 2, 2010

  • chained_bear I am dense as hell. I just got dontcry's comment. Har! Jul 16, 2009

  • chained_bear How I applaud the orang-utang's discrimination. Oct 20, 2008

  • dontcry Didn't they sing "Hungry Like the Wolf?"
    Didn't they sing "Hungry Like the Wolf?" Jun 14, 2008

  • bilby I think O'Brian's talking through his clacker. They taste pretty much as they smell, a hashmagandy of spaghetti, coffee and sweet tamarind flavours. Overrated. Jun 14, 2008

  • kewpid The trick is to store it in the fridge. Cold = less odour. Though I think people exaggerate how "bad" durians smell. Jun 14, 2008

  • reesetee Ha! I love the last sentence in that quote! Mar 4, 2008

  • chained_bear Interesting usage that describes this fruit:

    "'Some people eat them,' remarked van Buren, and then he cried 'Take care.' The durian fell with a heavy thump, an object the size and shape of a coconut but covered with strong thickset spikes... 'Ugly spikes: I have had several patients with dangerous lacerated wounds from a durian falling on their heads. The orang-utang opens them, however, spikes, coriaceous skin and all. This one is quite ripe, I am happy to say. Try a piece.'

    "'Stephen realized that the smell of decay came not from their dissection but from the fruit, and it was not without a certain effort that he overcame his reluctance. 'Oh,' said he a moment later, 'how extraordinarily good; and what an extraordinary contradiction between the senses of smell and taste. I had supposed them to be inseparably allied. How I applaud the orang-utang's discrimination.'"
    --Patrick O'Brian, The Thirteen Gun Salute, 190–191 Mar 4, 2008

  • john Don't they make countertops out of this? Jan 24, 2008

  • pomegranate A durian pomegranate? That's taking hybridization way too far! Dec 8, 2007

  • bilby I liked those lists of regulations on the back of hotel doors in Indonesia saying things like no cooking allowed in the room, no guests after 11pm, and no durians under any circumstances!

    How would you describe a durian pomegranate? Dec 8, 2007

  • pomegranate Once you get past the smell of this fruit, it is really quite tasty! Hold your nose and take a bite. An expensive Thai delicacy! Dec 8, 2007

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‘durian’ has been looked up 2104 times, added to 12 lists, commented on 12 times, and has a Scrabble score of 7.