pomelo

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun southeastern Asian tree producing large fruits resembling grapefruits
  2. noun large pear-shaped fruit similar to grapefruit but with coarse dry pulp

Etymology

Of uncertain etymology, though possibly a variant of earlier pampelmoes, from French, Dutch, Portuguese sources ultimately equivalent to "thick lemon" or transcribing the Tamil பம்ப ளிமாசு (pampa ḷimācu, “big citrus”). Alternatively, possibly from pome (“apple”) + melon or some cognate; though such a compound is currently unattested, some early variant spellings seem to show influence from pome.

In classic literature

Synonyms

pomelo tree, pummelo, shaddock, Citrus maxima, Citrus grandis, Citrus decumana

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