pitahaya

[ pit-uh-hahy-uh ]

noun

any of several cacti of the genus Selenicereus and related genera, of the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America, bearing edible round or oval fruit usually having scaly skin and sweet pulp filled with seeds.
the fruit of any of several cacti of the genus Selenicereus and related genera.

Origin of pitahaya

An Americanism first recorded in 1750–60; from Latin American Spanish, from Taíno

Compare pitaya.

Words Nearby pitahaya

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

How to use pitahaya in a sentence

Besides corn, they manufacture and sell a syrup extracted from the pitahaya.
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume 1 | Hubert Howe Bancroft
We plucked the pears of the pitahaya, and ate them greedily; we found service-berries, yampo, and roots of the “pomme blanche.”
The Scalp Hunters | Mayne Reid
When he shot through pitahaya on his return trip, however, he saw that the car was going at a terrific rate of speed.
The Broncho Rider Boys with Funston at Vera Cruz | Frank Fowler
And hang on they did until they dashed past the little station of pitahaya and after several minutes began to slow down.
The Broncho Rider Boys with Funston at Vera Cruz | Frank Fowler
Their molasses, put up in large jars, hermetically sealed, is expressed from the fruit of the pitahaya.
The Natural History of the Varieties of Man | Robert Gordon Latham

British Dictionary definitions for pitahaya

pitahaya

/ (ˌpɪtəˈhaɪə) /

noun

any giant cactus of Central America and the SW United States, esp the saguaro
Also called: dragon fruit the edible red pulpy fruit of such cacti, which has a mild sweet flavour

Origin of pitahaya

C18: Mexican Spanish, from Haitian Creole

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

Browse