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Added 9 October 2026

grapefruit

/ˈɡɹeɪ̯pfɹuːt/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about grapefruit at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Citrus tree bearing large round edible fruit having a thick yellow rind and juicy somewhat acid pulp.
Large yellow fruit with somewhat acid juicy pulp; usual serving consists of a half.

Origin

Widely assumed to be a marketing term from grape + fruit, an allusion to the supposed grapelike clusters of fruit on the tree, early 19th c. Ciardi proposes another theory: one of the pomelo's botanical names is Citrus grandis, meaning “great citrus [fruit]”, due to the size of its fruit. A new pomelo variety might first have been called a GRAYT-froot (see greatfruit), and through the process of assimilation, the word came to be pronounced GRAYP-froot.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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