papaya

American  

[puh-pah-yuh] / pəˈpɑ jə /

noun

• papayas
  plural

1. the large, yellow, melonlike fruit of a tropical American shrub or small tree, Carica papaya, eaten raw or cooked.

2. the tree itself.

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papaya British  

/ pəˈpaɪə /

noun

1. a Caribbean evergreen tree, Carica papaya, with a crown of large dissected leaves and large green hanging fruit: family Caricaceae

2. the fruit of this tree, having a yellow or reddish orange sweet edible pulp and small black seeds

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• papayan
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• papayas
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of papaya

1760–70; < Spanish < Carib (Hispaniola)

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Explanation

A papaya is a sweet tropical fruit with small, black seeds at the center. A papaya and banana smoothie makes a delicious and healthy breakfast. Most people eat papayas raw when the fruit is soft and ripe, although some find the smell of a perfectly ripe papaya to be terrible. Many Southeast Asian and South American cuisines include raw and cooked papaya, as well as green papaya and even the leaves of the papaya tree. Papayas are also called pawpaws, which gets a bit confusing since there's a totally different North American fruit also called a pawpaw.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

papaya papayas

I always order chicken sate and the green papaya salad.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026

U.S. and Cook Islands government news releases showed him in a suit picking at pieces of pineapple and papaya as he sat opposite a group of diplomats in Hawaiian-style shirts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 27, 2025

His cooks minced the meat with papaya, saffron and spices and made it so fine and silky that it needed no chewing.

From BBC ● Dec. 19, 2025

But, confined as they seem to be by their own "papaya rules" that require complete equality in support and opportunity for both Norris and Piastri, they cannot allow for any more mistakes.

From Barron's ● Dec. 1, 2025

Carts carried coconut candy, sticks of sugarcane, molasses toffee, and dried papaya slices.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

During Vodou ceremonies, lwa are offered treats ranging from papayas and coffee to popcorn, lollipops and cheese puffs.

From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2024

If small-scale farmers grow fruit trees amid their crops, for example, they can eat those bananas or papayas themselves while selling the rest of the harvest.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 4, 2024

Researchers created the virus-resistant "transgenic" papaya, which now makes up the majority of papayas consumed worldwide.

From Salon ● May 9, 2023

Colima state Gov. José Ignacio Peralta said nearly 8 inches of rain had fallen in a little under 24 hours, and more than 7,400 acres of crops such as bananas and papayas were damaged statewide.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2019

With a worrisome rattle, the taxi lurched forward, nearly crashing into a boat stacked high with papayas.

From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat

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Related Words

• cantaloupe
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• watermelon

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