acerola

[ as-uh-roh-luh ]

noun

1. the cherrylike fruit of a small tree, Malpighia glabra, of the West Indies and adjacent areas, having a high concentration of vitamin C.
2. the tree itself.

acerola

/ ˌæsəˈrəʊlə /

noun

1. a small tree or shrub, Malpighia glabra , that grows in the rainforests of N South America, Central America, and Jamaica
2. the small, soft, bright red fruit of this tree, which looks like a cherry but has a sharp flavour

Word History and Origins

Origin of acerola¹

First recorded in 1940–45; from Latin American Spanish, Spanish: a species of hawthorn, Crataegus azarolus, from Arabic al-zuʿrūr “the acerola”

Word History and Origins

Origin of acerola¹

C21: from Portuguese