grapefruit

See also: Grapefruit

English

A grapefruit (tree) in Enampore, Senegal
Grapefruit (fruit), one sliced in half

Etymology

Widely assumed to be a marketing term from grape + fruit, an allusion to the supposed grapelike clusters of fruit on the tree,[1] early 19th c. Ciardi proposes another theory: one of the pomelo's botanical names is Citrus grandis, meaning "great citrus [fruit]", due to the size of its fruit. A new pomelo variety might first have been called a "greatfruit" (see greatfruit), and through the process of dissimilation, the word came to be pronounced "grapefruit".

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈɡɹeɪpfɹuːt/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈɡɹeɪpfɹut/
  • (file)
  • Hyphenation: grape‧fruit

Noun

grapefruit (countable and uncountable, plural grapefruits or grapefruit)

  1. The tree of the species Citrus paradisi, a hybrid of Citrus maxima and sweet orange.
    • 1932, The Farmer, page 64:
      Results have begun to come in and at Comfort Castle this month I spent a useful and happy half day carting round 8 children in my car to their homes where we all helped to fill in with good soil and manure, their excellently dug holes and planted the grapefruit.
  2. The large spherical tart fruit produced by this tree.
    Synonyms: pomelo, shaddock, forbidden fruit
    • 2002, “Fruits”, in Encyclopedia of Foods: A Guide to Healthy Nutrition, Academic Press, →ISBN, part II (Encyclopedia of Foods), page 176, column 3:
      Grapefruit is high in vitamin C. The pink and red varieties contain vitamin A (betacarotene) and lycopene, an antioxidant that may help prevent cancer. Grapefruit contains a chemical that can alter intestinal absorption of some medications and lead to higher than normal blood levels of some drugs and potential problems.
    • 2002, NLRB Advice Memorandum Reporter, Labor Relations Press, page 100:
      Once loaded by Canaveral, the grapefruit are transported to Japan, where the shipments are unloaded by employees of Japanese stevedoring companies. The grapefruit are then received by the Japanese importers.

Synonyms

Hypernyms

Derived terms

Descendants

Translations

References

  1. “Report of the Secretary–the pomelo”, in Appendix to the Journals of the Senate and Assembly of the twenty-first Session of the Legislature of the State of California, volume V, Sacramento, 1895, page 65:
    The pomelo is now marketed under the name “grape-fruit,” which is a misnomer. This is confusing and misleading. The name “grape-fruit” was given to this fruit in Florida, as it hangs on trees in clusters resembling the grape, but has no relation to it whatever. Growers and shippers should drop the name “grape-fruit” and apply to it the name pomelo, which is popular, and botanically correct.

Further reading

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English grapefruit.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɡreːp.frut/
  • (file)
  • Hyphenation: grape‧fruit

Noun

grapefruit m (plural grapefruits, diminutive grapefruitje n)

  1. grapefruit (tree of the species Citrus paradisi)
  2. grapefruit (fruit produced by the tree of the species Citrus paradisi)

See also

French

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡʁa.pə.fʁɥi/
  • (file)

Noun

grapefruit m (plural grapefruits)

  1. (Switzerland) grapefruit
    Synonym: pamplemousse

Slovak

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈɡrejpfruːt]

Noun

grapefruit m inan (genitive singular grapefruitu, nominative plural grapefruity, genitive plural grapefruitov, declension pattern of dub)

  1. grapefruit

Declension

Further reading

  • grapefruit”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2024
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