noun
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a cultivated variety of muskmelon, Cucumis melo cantalupensis, with ribbed warty rind and orange flesh
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any of several other muskmelons
Usage
What is a cantaloupe? A cantaloupe is an edible member of the gourd family known for its orange, sweet flesh and hard, scaly outer rind. Its scientific name is Cucumis melo cantalupensis and is sold mainly in Europe.A cantaloupe is also a type of muskmelon, with pale orange flesh and a rough, reticulated rind. That is, the rind has veins that look like the threads of a net. Its scientific name is Cucumis melo reticulatus and is sold mainly in the United States. Cucumis melo reticulatus is considered less sweet and more juice filled than Cucumis melo cantalupensis.Example: I made a melon salad with watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew for the pool party.
Etymology
Origin of cantaloupe
First recorded in 1730–40; from French, allegedly after Cantaluppi, a papal estate near Rome where cultivation of this melon is said to have begun in Europe, though a comparable Italian word is not attested until much later than the French word, and Cantaloup, a village in Languedoc, has also been proposed as the source
Compare meaning
How does cantaloupe compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I stood in this cantaloupe field in rural California, among seemingly endless lines of fruit waiting to be plucked on a Tuesday this fall.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 30, 2025
They do cantaloupe, specifically, and I’ve grown to love it.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2025
I wondered how it was possible to capture the essence of green apple or cantaloupe in the form of a tiny, plastic-y candy.
From Salon • May 8, 2024
A salmonella outbreak tied to tainted cantaloupe has now killed eight people - three in the U.S. and five in Canada, health officials reported Thursday.
From Washington Times • Dec. 8, 2023
The left side of Mr. Sir's face had swollen to the size of half a cantaloupe.
From "Holes" by Louis Sachar
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
