avocado

American  

[av-uh-kah-doh, ah-vuh-] / ˌæv əˈkɑ doʊ, ˌɑ və- /

noun

plural

avocados

1. Also called alligator pear.  a large, usually pear-shaped fruit having green to blackish skin, a single large seed, and soft, light-green pulp, borne by the tropical American tree Persea americana and its variety P. adrymifolia, often eaten raw, especially in salads.

2. the tree itself.

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avocado British  

/ ˌævəˈkɑːdəʊ /

noun

1. a pear-shaped fruit having a leathery green or blackish skin, a large stony seed, and a greenish-yellow edible pulp

2. the tropical American lauraceous tree, Persea americana, that bears this fruit

3. 1. a dull greenish colour resembling that of the fruit

   2. (as modifier)

      an avocado bathroom suite

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Etymology

Origin of avocado

1690–1700; alteration of Spanish abogado literally, lawyer ( see advocate), by confusion with Mexican Spanish aguacate < Nahuatl āhuacatl avocado, testicle; cf. alligator pear

Explanation

An avocado is a fruit with a thick green skin and mild, creamy flesh. If you've ever eaten guacamole, you've tasted avocado. It might seem strange that an avocado is a fruit, because it's not sweet. Avocados have to be cut open before you eat them, and the hard pit in the middle needs to be removed. The inside of an avocado is firm but soft, a pale green shade. The word avocado is Spanish, from aguacate, and rooted in a Proto-Aztecan word, *pawa, that also meant avocado.

Example Sentences

GENEVA, Ill.—Wielding a faucet hose, Beto “Rodrigo” Mejía Fermine blasted the remains of avocado toast and turkey gravy off stacks of plates hurriedly delivered by servers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

But I love a boiled egg in the morning with either avocado or hash browns.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

Crispy bacon bits, poppy pickled onions, hunks of avocado, corn nuts, everything bagel seasoning, za’atar, toasted breadcrumbs, torn herbs.

From Salon • Mar. 25, 2026

Those avocado green appliances, Formica countertops, and linoleum floors were just as crappy as they appear in those sitcom reruns.

From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026

If you have any cheese or olives or cut-up avocado or anything, you can add it on top now, but you don’t really need anything else.

From "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer" by Kelly Jones