nectarine

[nek-tuh-reen, nek-tuh-reen]

noun

a variety or mutation of peach having a smooth, downless skin.

Origin of nectarine

First recorded in 1610–20; nectar + -ine¹

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

Examples from the Web for nectarine

Historical Examples of nectarine

Where peach and nectarine trees are managed with this paint, they are very rarely either hide-bound or attacked by insects.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton
One of the peaches was almost as smooth on one side as a nectarine.
The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, Vol. I.
Charles Darwin
These dishes are all gold, and I'm eating birds of paradise with nectarine sauce.
Marjorie's Busy Days
Carolyn Wells
When the nectarine yields a peach, the character is restored.
The Peaches of New York
U. P. Hedrick
The nectarine is one of the most interesting phenomena in horticulture.
The Peaches of New York
U. P. Hedrick

British Dictionary definitions for nectarine

nectarine

noun

a variety of peach tree, Prunus persica nectarina

the fruit of this tree, which has a smooth skin

Word Origin for nectarine

C17: apparently from nectar

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 nectarine

type of peach with smooth skin, 1660s, noun use of adjective meaning "of or like nectar" (1610s; see nectar + -ine (1)). Probably inspired by German nektarpfirsich "nectar-peach." Earlier in English as nectrine.