breadfruit

[bred-froot]

noun

1. a large, round, starchy fruit borne by a tree, Artocarpus altilis, of the mulberry family, native to the Pacific islands, used, baked or roasted, for food.

2. the tree bearing this fruit.

breadfruit

/ ˈbrɛdˌfruːt /

noun

1. a moraceous tree, Artocarpus communis (or A. altilis ), of the Pacific Islands, having large round edible starchy usually seedless, fruit

2. the fruit of this tree, which is eaten baked or roasted and has a texture like bread

Word History and Origins

Origin of breadfruit¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; bread + fruit

Example Sentences

In 1778, British explorer Capt. James Cook was welcomed when he anchored off the Hawaiian islands by locals eager to trade cuttlefish, breadfruit and pigs for nails and iron tools.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Before colonialism, commercial agriculture and tourism, thousands of breadfruit trees dotted Lahaina; the fire charred all but two of the dozen or so that remained.

Read more on Seattle Times

A full kitchen awaited, filled with produce they had grown in their own yard: coconut, sweet peppers, plantains, bay leaves, breadfruit, soursop and more.

Read more on New York Times

Later inhabitants built pole-and-thatch dwellings and grew crops such as taro and breadfruit.

Read more on Science Magazine

The island also has plans to plant a tree as part of the Queen's Green Canopy issue – a coconut, a palm or a breadfruit tree.

Read more on Reuters