Cortlands

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A crisp, red-skinned apple variety developed in New York that resists browning when sliced ; a town in central New York State named after a Dutch-origin family
2. A tart-sweet red apple cultivar bred in New York, popular for fresh eating and baking ; a small community in upstate New York that shares its name
3. Red apples of a New York-bred variety valued for their white flesh ; a place name referring to a municipality in New York State

Etymology: The Cortland is an apple, and its name comes from a place rather than a person's surname in the usual sense. It takes its name from the town of Cortland in New York State, and the "cortlands" in your request is the plural of that apple variety's name. The apple was bred at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York, by crossing the McIntosh with the Ben Davis. Breeders there aimed for a fruit that kept the McIntosh's crisp, juicy flesh while resisting bruising and browning better, so the flesh of a cut Cortland stays white for longer than many apples'. The town's name traces back to the Van Cortlandt family, prominent Dutch-descended landowners in the Hudson Valley, whose surname was given to places across the region. The "cortland" spelling of the place name is a simplified form of that family name.