pawpaw
Americannoun
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pawpaws
plural
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a tree, Asimina triloba, of the annona family, native to the eastern United States, having large, oblong leaves and purplish flowers.
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the fleshy, edible fruit of this tree.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of pawpaw
First recorded in 1620–30; unexplained variant of papaye “papaya”; see papaya
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Finger limes, pomelos, pawpaw and sapote, to name a handful.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025
He went from standard citrus, apricot and avocado to a more exotic collection, adding finger limes, valentine pummelos, jaboticaba, cherimoya and pawpaw.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2025
Peterson tasted his first pawpaw, from a wild growing tree, in his university's arboretum as a graduate student studying plant genetics.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2024
Despite the rising recognition of the pawpaw, its uniqueness is at once a valuable trait and a major roadblock.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2024
Then she flies past the rows of gangly bird of paradise, past the pawpaw tree with ripening fruit, and loses a sandal taking the three front steps in an inelegant leap.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
Fryar, who wrote a book about the Potomac after discovering its hidden wilds, plans to stop foraging for pawpaws and a leafy green called sochan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
As an emerging crop, pawpaws pose their fair share of challenges — namely, they're difficult to store and ship.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2024
At farmers markets pawpaws typically cost $2- 15 per pound, while online retailers often charge even more.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2024
So far, Osatuke says she hasn't seen people over-invest in pawpaws the way they have with other crops.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2024
“Oh, look, those pawpaws are almost ripe. Lotekwa, don’t forget to pluck them.”
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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