Chinese gooseberry

noun

1. a climbing shrub, Actinidia chinensis, native to China and cultivated commercially in New Zealand for its edible fruit.

2. kiwi.

Chinese gooseberry

noun

1. another name for kiwi fruit

Word History and Origins

Origin of Chinese gooseberry¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Or maybe they just have an effective rebrand, as did the kiwi — formerly called the Chinese gooseberry.

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When a client first requested the Chinese gooseberry, six months went by before she could locate one, Mrs. Caplan told the Los Angeles Times.

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You’re presented with a fuzzy brown fruit from New Zealand called a Chinese gooseberry.

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You probably would’ve never heard of the fuzzy little fruit known as the kiwi if it hadn’t had a Norma Jean Mortenson moment and changed its name from “Chinese gooseberry.”

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Back in the 1970s, the Chinese gooseberry went global — cultivated in New Zealand and shipped to the world — after being rechristened as the friendlier kiwi.

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