Canteloupe

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of sweet, orange-fleshed melon known for its distinctive netted skin and delicious taste
2. A variety of fruit characterized by its round shape, rough skin, and juicy interior that is often eaten fresh
3. A popular summer fruit that typically has a textured outer rind and a fragrant, succulent flesh ideal for salads or desserts

Etymology: The melon takes its name from a hilltop estate, not a fruit. Cantalupo, in the Sabina hills northeast of Rome, was a summer residence of the Papacy, and melons grown there after they reached Europe came to be called after the place. The name passed from Italian into French as "cantaloup" before arriving in English. The Italian place name itself is a folk-flavored one. It combines "canto," meaning corner or edge, with "lupo," meaning wolf, so the literal sense is "howl of the wolf." The spelling "canteloupe" is an older-looking variant of the same word, with the familiar English form "cantaloupe" differing only in its vowel.

Synonyms: cantaloupe