medlar

American  

[med-ler] / ˈmɛd lər /

noun

1. a small tree, Mespilus germanica, of the rose family, the fruit of which resembles a crab apple and is not edible until the early stages of decay.

2. any of certain related trees.

3. the fruit of any of these trees.

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medlar British  

/ ˈmɛdlə /

noun

1. a small Eurasian rosaceous tree, Mespilus germanica

2. the fruit of this tree, which resembles the crab apple and is not edible until it has begun to decay

3. any of several other rosaceous trees or their fruits

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Etymology

Origin of medlar

1325–75; Middle English medler < Anglo-French, equivalent to medle ( Old French mesle the fruit < Latin mespilum < Greek méspilon ) + -er -er ²

Example Sentences

We hand the results to friends and neighbors and spread the word of the glorious, troublesome medlar.

From Seattle Times • May 24, 2024

Most people have never heard of the medlar tree.

From Seattle Times • May 24, 2024

As a child, Lupita spent her afternoons scaling medlar trees with disconcerting skill, picking their sweet, pulpy fruit and rubbing the resin between her fingers.

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2018

“And medlar fruit is definitely something I’m tempted to plant.”

From New York Times • Aug. 18, 2017

The rose-bushes, the caper-bushes, and the aloes hanging from the wall, passed slowly in the pale light of this starry but moonless night; then the orange-trees, the medlar, and the pine slipped by.

From The Patriot Piccolo Mondo Antico by Fogazzaro, Antonio