Mangosteen

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A tropical fruit with a thick purple rind and juicy, sweet, white flesh commonly sought after for its unique flavor
2. This perennial tree produces a round, dark purple fruit that many enjoy fresh or in desserts, noted for its delicate taste
3. Known as the "queen of fruits," this exotic edible fruit is praised for both its deliciously sweet interior and potential health benefits

Etymology: The mangosteen is named after a fruit that is not a mango at all. Its English name came through Dutch from Malay, where "manggis" was a general term for several related garcinias, and the compound "manggis hutan" ("jungle manggis") was applied to Garcinia hombroniana and Garcinia malaccensis. The Malay forms "manggustan", "manggista" and "manggistan" show how the word shifted in pronunciation before reaching Europe. The resemblance to "mango" is a coincidence of spelling and sound. The two words have no shared origin, though the similarity may have nudged the English and Dutch pronunciation and spelling closer to "mango" over time.