mangosteen

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun East Indian tree with thick leathery leaves and edible fruit
  2. noun two- to three-inch tropical fruit with juicy flesh suggestive of both peaches and pineapples

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch mangosteen (“mangosteen”), from Malay manggustan ~ manggista ~ manggistan fusing manggis hutan “jungle manggis” applied to Garcinia hombroniana or G. malaccensis; manggis is a generic word applied to other related garcinias like above and Garcinia penangiana (manggis burung). Not related to mango, though this may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation.

In classic literature

Synonyms

mangosteen tree, Garcinia mangostana

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