mango

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun large evergreen tropical tree cultivated for its large oval fruit
  2. noun large oval tropical fruit having smooth skin, juicy aromatic pulp, and a large hairy seed

Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese manga, from Malayalam മാങ്ങ (māṅṅa) / Tamil மாங்காய் (māṅkāy), possibly via Malay mangga, ultimately from Proto-South Dravidian *mām-kāy (“unripe mango”), a compound of *mām (“mango tree”) + *kāy (“unripe fruit”). First used for the fruit as early as the 1580s and the tree by the 1670s. The etymology of the -o ending is not certain.

In classic literature

Synonyms

mango tree, Mangifera indica

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