kumquat

American  

[kuhm-kwot] / ˈkʌm kwɒt /

Sometimes cumquat

noun

• kumquats
  plural

1. a small, round or oblong citrus fruit having a sweet rind and acid pulp, used chiefly for preserves.

2. any of several citrus shrubs of the genus Fortunella, native to China, that bear this fruit.

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kumquat British  

/ ˈkʌmkwɒt /

noun

1. any of several small Chinese trees of the rutaceous genus Fortunella

2. the small round orange fruit of such a tree, with a sweet rind, used in preserves and confections

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• kumquats
  plural

Etymology

Origin of kumquat

First recorded in 1865–70; from dialectal Chinese (Guangdong) gāmgwāt “gold citrus fruit,” akin to Chinese jīnjù

Explanation

A kumquat is a very small, sour citrus fruit. Kumquats look like tiny oranges — and you eat them whole, skin and all. Kumquats are often used to make jam or cooked with sugar to counter their acidic flavor. If you're a fan of sour candy, you might love the taste of a fresh kumquat, and the sensation of biting through its sweet rind to a sour burst of juice at the center. Kumquats originated in China, and their name comes from the Cantonese kamkwat, from kam, "golden," and kwat, "orange."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kumquat kumquats

Coffee and fruit is a popular pairing among Vietnam’s younger drinkers, including those inside Blackbird’s Old Quarter location, where teens and 20-somethings sip espresso drinks spiked with banana, mango, pomegranate, kumquat, sugar cane and more.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026

My wife and I grow the basics — massive Bearss lemons, Persian and Mexican limes, a kumquat bush that right now is so brimming with thumb-size orange jewels that it looks like a traffic cone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2024

“I’ve noticed a lot of new citrus flavors beyond lemon, orange and lime, like calamansi, kumquat and mandarin,” she says.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 13, 2023

Well, we may be facing a banana or a kumquat, of indeterminate size, very soon.

From New York Times ● Apr. 7, 2023

“Yes. Your grandpa loved ice cream. He always said no one ever matched his vanilla kumquat recipe, which just goes to show that wooden shoe trees don’t help a bit when it’s time to vote.”

From "Lawn Boy Returns" by Gary Paulsen

Tart citrus fruits vary from olive-sized kumquats to four-pound pomelos.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 11, 2023

Fennel brings freshness to the dish so it does not feel heavy and the kumquats add brightness and acidity to balance everything out.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2023

Boyd likes to play with different combinations of both texture and flavor, from kumquats and star fruit in winter to berries and melons in summer.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 18, 2022

Several small fruit trees will add beauty and fruit to the garden including kumquats, bearss limes, meyer lemons, satsuma tangerines, pineapple guavas and Buddha’s hand citrus.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2022

The fruits were beautiful inside the windows—bananas, oranges, alligator pears, bright little kumquats, and even a few pineapples.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers