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

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

Bottle bio: Accented with peach, apricot, acacia, and floral notes, this sparkling variety hails from the cool-climate of California’s Anderson Valley.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026

She gave me like a date, you know, and like a dried apricot, so I ate that.

From Barron's ● Feb. 7, 2026

A superstar in French cuisine, tonka has also made its fair share of cameos on “Bake Off,” notably in an apricot compote and a mascarpone cream paired with a ginger, fig and honey pudding.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2025

He’s honest, real polite, and he likes crunchy peanut butter and apricot jelly—never grape—just like I do.

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper

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

Go for dried fruit if you want something chewy and concentrated: cranberries, golden or black raisins, figs, apricots, dates.

From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2025

In Hollister, underage siblings use sharp knives to cut and clean heirloom apricots that dry in the hot sun.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2025

He had been given a woven bag of apples, of plums and pears and apricots: dryad fruit, like nothing else on Earth.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

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