papaya

[puh-pah-yuh]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR papaya ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the large, yellow, melonlike fruit of a tropical American shrub or small tree, Carica papaya, eaten raw or cooked.

the tree itself.

Origin of papaya

1760–70; < Spanish < Carib (Hispaniola)

Also called pawpaw.

Related formspa·pa·yan, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for papaya

Papaya and Arugula Salad by Anne Byrn The Dinner Doctor offers a salad to please both the palate and the eye.
What to Eat|Cookstr.com|July 28, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Papaya is not as sweet as mango or peach, but it gives a salad great texture, flavor, and color.
What to Eat|Cookstr.com|July 28, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Another valuable fruit indigenous to this country is the Papaia (Carica papaya).
The Hawaiian Islands|The Department of Foreign Affairs
We passed several small coffee plantations; in the clearings near the houses were banana, orange, and papaya trees.
Journeys and Experiences in Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile|Henry Stephens

A fruit that always appealed to us was the papaya, or pawpaw.
Up the Orinoco and down the Magdalena|H. J. Mozans
In some countries they wrap meat in papaya leaves for several hours before eating in order to soften it.
The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines|T. H. Pardo de Tavera
“Santa Ana's house is full of bullets” is rather pretty description for the papaya.
A Little Book of Filipino Riddles|Various

British Dictionary definitions for papaya

papaya

noun

a Caribbean evergreen tree, Carica papaya, with a crown of large dissected leaves and large green hanging fruit: family Caricaceae

the fruit of this tree, having a yellow or reddish orange sweet edible pulp and small black seeds

Also called: papaw, pawpaw

Derived Formspapayan, adjective

Word Origin for papaya

C15 papaye, from Spanish papaya, from an American Indian language; compare Carib ababai

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 papaya

1590s for fruit, 1610s for tree, from Spanish, probably from Arawakan (West Indies) papaya.