durian

or du·ri·on

[doo r-ee-uh n, -ahn]

noun

the edible fruit of a tree, Durio zibethinus, of the bombax family, of southeastern Asia, having a hard, prickly rind, a highly flavored, pulpy flesh, and an unpleasant odor.

the tree itself.

Origin of durian

1580–90; < Malay: a fruit with spiky skin, equivalent to duri thorn + -an nominalizer suffix

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for durian

Contemporary Examples of durian

Once I even got a Durian—Asian fruit notorious for smelling like a sweaty sock—which did not make me popular that month.
Tales of a Jailhouse Gourmet: How I learned to Cook in Prison
Daniel Genis
June 21, 2014

Historical Examples of durian

It picked up the Durian which lay there and began to devour it.
Blown to Bits
R.M. Ballantyne
It was a ripe Durian which had fallen from an immense height and missed him by a hairbreadth.
Blown to Bits
R.M. Ballantyne
“All burra sahib like durian,” said the Kling, showing his white teeth.
Middy and Ensign
G. Manville Fenn
I will begin with the durian, or sumpà, the fruit of which is unknown in our country.
My Friends the Savages
Giovanni Battista Cerruti
The season of the mangosteen is the same with that of the durian.
Siam
George B. Bacon

British Dictionary definitions for durian

durian

durion

noun

a SE Asian bombacaceous tree, Durio zibethinus, having very large oval fruits with a hard spiny rind containing seeds surrounded by edible evil-smelling aril

the fruit of this tree, which has an offensive smell but a pleasant taste: supposedly an aphrodisiac

Word Origin for durian

C16: from Malay, from duri thorn

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for durian

1580s, from Malay durian, from duri "thorn, prickle." So called for its rind.