Sapodilla

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌsæpəˈdɪlə/

Definitions

1. A tropical evergreen tree known for its sweet fruit ; the round or oval fruit with brown rough skin and sweet, grainy flesh eaten fresh or in desserts
2. An evergreen tree native to Central America that produces edible sweet fruits ; the edible fruit itself, characterized by its soft texture and sweet flavor
3. A tropical plant bearing large, sweet edible fruits in brown-skinned, soft-fleshed form ; the fruit harvested from this tree, often consumed fresh or used in culinary dishes

Etymology: The sapodilla tree is native to Mexico and Central America, and its name travelled from the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs through Spanish into English. The Nahuatl word "tzapocuahuitl" combined "tzapotl", the name of the sapote fruit, with "cuahuitl", meaning "tree". Spanish speakers shortened and reshaped it into "sapodilla", and the tree's name became a cousin of "sapote", the name of several related fruits. Those two words are closely linked but describe different plants, which is a source of confusion. The sapodilla is the tree whose fruit has brown, rough skin and sweet, grainy-textured flesh, while "sapote" names a family of fruits from related trees. The Spanish form was shaped by the same tree-and-fruit naming logic that gave Nahuatl its compound.