Medler

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small European tree of the rose family whose brownish, apple-like fruit is typically eaten only after it has softened through partial decay
2. An orchard tree related to the pear and hawthorn that produces round, russet fruit with a hard seed center and a tart, date-like flesh
3. A low, spreading fruit tree with crooked branches, whose hard brown fruits were traditionally left to ripen until they became soft and sweet

Etymology: The fruit this spelling names is hard, astringent, and nearly inedible when picked. It has to be stored until it softens and browns, a process called bletting, and only then is the flesh sweet enough to eat. The word traces back to the ancient Greek "mespilē," which passed into Latin as "mespilus" and then into Old French as "medle" or "meslier." English borrowed it through Anglo-Norman in the Middle Ages, and the tree and its fruit have kept the name ever since. "Medler" is an older, variant spelling of the same word. "Medlar" became the standard form, and the variant survives mainly in older texts and in some regional or dialect usage. The spelling shifted over centuries as English settled its pronunciation and spelling conventions.