apricot

[ ap-ri-kot, ey-pri- ]
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noun
  1. the downy, yellow, sometimes rosy fruit, somewhat resembling a small peach, of the tree Prunus armeniaca.

  2. the tree itself.

  1. a pinkish yellow or yellowish pink.

  2. Also called wild apricot. Chiefly South Midland U.S. the maypop vine and its fruit; passionfruit.

Origin of apricot

1
1545–55; <Middle French abricot<Portuguese albricoque or Spanish albar(i)coque<Arabic al the + barqūq<Medieval Greek <Late Latin praecocquum, for Latin (persicum) praecox literally, early-ripening peach, perhaps referring to the apricot (see peach1, precocious); replacing earlier abrecock<Portuguese or Spanish; later p for Middle French b perhaps <Latin praecox

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British Dictionary definitions for apricot

apricot

/ (ˈeɪprɪˌkɒt) /


noun
  1. a rosaceous tree, Prunus armeniaca, native to Africa and W Asia, but widely cultivated for its edible fruit

  2. the downy yellow juicy edible fruit of this tree, which resembles a small peach

Origin of apricot

1
C16: earlier apricock, from Portuguese (albricoque) or Spanish, from Arabic al-birqūq the apricot, from Late Greek praikokion, from Latin praecox early-ripening; see precocious

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