Dictionary.com

rambutan

[ ram-boot-n ]
/ ræmˈbut n /

noun

the bright-red oval fruit of a Malayan, sapindaceous tree, Nephelium lappaceum, covered with soft spines, or hairs, and having a subacid taste.
the tree itself.

QUIZZES

LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!

Are you learning Spanish? Or do you just have an interest in foreign languages? Either way, this quiz on Spanish words for animals is for you.
Question 1 of 13
How do you say “cat” 🐈 in Spanish?
gato/gata
cato/cata
gatto/gatta
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of rambutan

1700–10; <Malay, equivalent to rambut hair + -an nominalizing suffix

Words nearby rambutan

rambling, Rambo, Ramboesque, Rambouillet, rambunctious, rambutan, RAMC, ram down someone's throat, Rameau, Ramée, ramekin
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for rambutan

  • Among the fruits which we have tasted for the first time the mangosteen and the rambutan are rivals in popularity.

    The Old World and Its Ways|William Jennings Bryan

  • The rambutan has not received as much praise as the mangosteen, but I am not sure but that it is superior for continuous use.

    The Old World and Its Ways|William Jennings Bryan

  • The pulp of the rambutan resembles a pigeon's egg in size and shape and contains a single seed.

    The Old World and Its Ways|William Jennings Bryan

  • Then there was the rambutan—a globular fruit, an inch and a half in diameter.

    In the Eastern Seas|W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for rambutan

rambutan
/ (ræmˈbuːtən) /

noun

a sapindaceous tree, Nephelium lappaceum, native to SE Asia, that has bright red edible fruit
the fruit of this tree

Word Origin for rambutan

C18: from Malay, from rambut hair
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