apricot

American  

[ap-ri-kot, ay-pri-] / ˈæp rɪˌkɒt, ˈeɪ prɪ- /

noun

• apricots
  plural

1. the downy, yellow, sometimes rosy fruit, somewhat resembling a small peach, of the tree Prunus armeniaca.

2. the tree itself.

3. a pinkish yellow or yellowish pink.

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

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apricot British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• apricots
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of apricot

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 peach ¹, precocious); replacing earlier abrecock < Portuguese or Spanish; later p for Middle French b perhaps < Latin praecox

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Explanation

An apricot is a small, yellowish-orange fruit with a hard pit. Slightly less juicy than the similar peach, apricots are a little bit tart. The fact that apricots aren't quite as juicy as some other stone fruits makes them perfect for drying — and dried apricots are chewy and sweet. The word apricot is derived from the Arabic al-barqūq, "the plums," and these two fruits are very closely related. As a color, apricot also describes a slightly rosy shade of yellow that borders on orange.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

apricot apricots

I turned perhaps $50 worth of produce into dried fruit, jam and an apricot pie.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

And if you start — or end — the meal with Wisconsin cheese, don’t skip the apricot preserves alongside it.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

And they haven’t given up hope on finding a place for an apricot mallow to thrive.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

Under good weather conditions, he said, a single apricot tree can yield up to 500 kilograms.

From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026

Fiona swabbed my eyelids with a tiny foam brush rolled in apricot powder and drew on top of my lash line with a brown pencil.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

Tons of stranded apricots have been spoiled because of the delays.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Cultivated for millennia, Armenia's famed apricots were known to ancient Romans as the "Armenian apple."

From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026

Cherries and other stone fruits, including apricots and plums, require a certain number of cold hours.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

If you round things out with a French baguette, grapes, dried apricots, olives, and a bowl of spicy walnuts or pecans, you’ve got an easy spread for 10–15 people.

From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2025

I was actually pretty good at finding ways to turn the vegetarian ground beef, beets, feta cheese, and apricots into something edible.

From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman

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