medlar

[ med-ler ]

/ ˈmɛd lər /

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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, Med. Lat., medley, medley relay, Médoc, Medon

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use medlar in a sentence

And certainly a fine Medlar tree "ful of blossomes" is a handsome ornament on any lawn.
The plant-lore and garden-craft of Shakespeare|Henry Nicholson Ellacombe
In the medlar the core (or true pericarp) is of a stony hardness, while the outer succulent covering is open at the summit.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3|Various
Now the Stevenyne was full sixty years old, and had a face like a medlar, but all yellowed with bile and anger.
The Legend of Ulenspiegel, Vol. II (of 2)|Charles de Coster
They made their way through the medlar trees and scrub to the plateau above, and, the height gained, they turned to look back.
Cumner & South Sea Folk, Complete|Gilbert Parker

The pod increases to the size of a large cob-nut or small medlar, and becomes brown as the woolly fruit ripens.
The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary|Henry Lee

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