Bletting

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act of allowing certain fruits to mature beyond standard ripeness, resulting in a soft and palatable state
2. The gradual process in which specific fruits reach a desirable softness by over-ripening, enhancing their taste
3. The process through which particular fruits are purposely allowed to overripen, resulting in improved flavor and texture

Etymology: John Lindley, the English botanist, coined "blet" in 1835 in his "Introduction to Botany." He needed a name for the soft, brownish, bruised state that certain fruits pass through after ripening, and he borrowed the idea from French, where the equivalent was "blettir." Lindley admitted in print that he was reaching for a term, since English had no equivalent for the condition, and he wrote that he hoped to be forgiven for the coinage. The verb form "bletting" follows naturally from that noun-like coinage: it names the gradual process by which fruit such as medlars or pears softens past firmness into a sweeter, richer texture. The source's own spelling in Lindley's quotation, "blessi," appears to be a typesetting error for the French "bletti," which suggests Lindley was working from the French term and anglicising it on the fly.