Durio

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A tropical fruit known for its large size, spiky green exterior, and distinctive strong odor, popular in Southeast Asia for its creamy texture and unique flavor
2. A genus of trees producing large, thorn-covered fruits containing soft, edible pulp often described as having a pungent aroma and rich taste favored in some Asian cuisines
3. A Southeast Asian fruit-bearing plant whose fruit is characterized by a hard, spiny shell and a custard-like interior pulp valued for its distinctive smell and flavor profile

Etymology: The English "durian" is an Americanized spelling of "durio," the scientific genus name for the fruit tree. That Latinized name was coined in modern botany, so it is a New Latin formation rather than an ancient word. The Malay name for the fruit, "durian," is itself built on "duri," meaning "spine," which points to the fruit's most obvious feature. The spelling "durio" appears to have been chosen by botanists to give the genus a neat classical-looking form, and English speakers later Americanized it to "durian." Readers meeting it on a menu or in a grocery store are therefore using a word that moved from a Southeast Asian language into a scientific label and back into everyday English.

Synonyms: durian, fruit