pawpaw

[ paw-paw ]

/ ˈpɔˌpɔ /

Save This Word!

noun

a tree, Asimina triloba, of the annona family, native to the eastern United States, having large, oblong leaves and purplish flowers.

the fleshy, edible fruit of this tree.

papaya.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Also pa·paw

[paw-paw, puh-paw] /ˈpɔ pɔ, pəˈpɔ/ .

Origin of pawpaw

First recorded in 1620–30; unexplained variant of papaye “papaya”; see papaya

Words nearby pawpaw

pawnbroking, Pawnee, pawn off, pawnshop, pawn ticket, pawpaw, Pawtucket, pax, Pax Britannica, Paxil, Paxman

How to use pawpaw in a sentence

Rows of pawpaw and persimmon trees are staggered between native varieties of corn, beans and squash.
Mixing trees and crops can help both farmers and the climate|Jonathan Lambert|July 14, 2021|Science News
Does anyone know for sure how to get pawpaw seed to germinate?
Northern Nut Growers Association Thirty-Fourth Annual Report 1943|Various
We had also eaten the pulpy fruit of the pawpaw; but all these together we found to be but poor apologies for real bread.
The Desert Home|Mayne Reid
Lying close to earth, between the smooth pawpaw stems, the large leaves making a night-time for him, Steve felt deadly sick.
The Long Roll|Mary Johnston

From the locust tree east of my lodge to the pawpaw on the west, as the branch swings in the wind, so shall you swing.
The Sun Maid|Evelyn Raymond
Within 125 yards of the road, in a kind of sink or depression, the three doomed brothers are tied to pawpaw bushes.
Kentucky's Famous Feuds and Tragedies|Chas. G Mutzenberg

British Dictionary definitions for pawpaw

pawpaw

/ (ˈpɔːˌpɔː) /

noun

a variant of papaw, papaya

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