chayote

American  

[chahy-oh-tee] / tʃaɪˈoʊ ti /

noun

chayotes plural

1. a tropical American vine, Sechium edule, of the gourd family, having triangular leaves and small, white flowers.

2. the green or white, furrowed, usually pear-shaped, edible fruit of this plant.

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chayote British  

/ tʃaɪˈəʊtɪ, tʃɑːˈjəʊteɪ /

noun

1. a tropical American cucurbitaceous climbing plant, Sechium edule, that has edible pear-shaped fruit enclosing a single enormous seed

2. the fruit of this plant, which is cooked and eaten as a vegetable

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Usage

What does chayote mean? Chayote is a light green, pear-shaped, squash-like fruit popular in Central American cuisine.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• chayotes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of chayote

1885–90, < Mexican Spanish < Nahuatl chayohtli

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chayote chayotes

The 11 ingredients in the book — beans, calabaza, cassava, chayote, coconut, cornmeal, okra, plantains, rice, salted cod and scotch bonnet peppers — are all inherently Caribbean ingredients.

From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2024

Patrons can order shrimp served with a creamy sauce made with vanilla extract, a chayote squash soup with vanilla seeds, a vanilla liqueur drink called Papenteco Kiss and plantains flambéed with vanilla ice cream.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2024

Short and stout pattypan are as cute as buttons; slender, two-toned zephyrs look like their bottoms have been dipped in green dye; pale green chayote could be mistaken for pears at first glance.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 13, 2021

But there are also illustrations of fruits I’ve never heard of: chayote, sweetsop, cherimoya, sapodilla, passiflora and mammee apple.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 21, 2021

Its first recipe, for chayote squash, was printed in 1915.

From New York Times ● Nov. 30, 2017

“You can put eggs, corn and chayotes in the ground, and they cook,” she said.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 12, 2018