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medlar

[ med-ler ]
/ ˈmɛd lər /

noun

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.
any of certain related trees.
the fruit of any of these trees.

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Origin of medlar

1325–75; Middle English medler<Anglo-French, equivalent to medle (Old French mesle the fruit <Latin mespilum<Greek méspilon) + -er-er2

Words nearby medlar

medium-sized, medium strip, medium wave, medius, medivac, medlar, MEDLARS, Med. Lat., medley, medley relay, MEDLINE
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for medlar

British Dictionary definitions for medlar

medlar
/ (ˈmɛdlə) /

noun

a small Eurasian rosaceous tree, Mespilus germanica
the fruit of this tree, which resembles the crab apple and is not edible until it has begun to decay
any of several other rosaceous trees or their fruits

Word Origin for medlar

C14: from Old French medlier, from Latin mespilum medlar fruit, from Greek mespilon
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