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avocado
(redirected from avocados)

   Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.15 sec.
av·o·ca·do  (v-käd, äv-)
n. pl. av·o·ca·dos
1.
a. A tropical American tree (Persea americana) having oval or pear-shaped fruit with leathery skin, yellowish-green flesh, and a large seed.
b. The edible fruit of this tree. Also called alligator pear, avocado pear.
2. A dull green.

[American Spanish, alteration (influenced by obsolete Spanish avocado, lawyer) of Nahuatl ahuacatl.]
Word History: The history of avocado takes us back to the Aztecs and their language, Nahuatl, which contained the word ahuacatl meaning both "fruit of the avocado tree" and "testicle." The word ahuacatl was compounded with others, as in ahuacamolli, meaning "avocado soup or sauce," from which the Spanish-Mexican word guacamole derives. In trying to pronounce ahuacatl, the Spanish who found the fruit and its Nahuatl name in Mexico came up with aguacate, but other Spanish speakers substituted the form avocado for the Nahuatl word because ahuacatl sounded like the early Spanish word avocado (now abogado), meaning "lawyer." In borrowing the Spanish avocado, first recorded in English in 1697 in the compound avogato pear (with a spelling that probably reflects Spanish pronunciation), we have lost some traces of the more interesting Nahuatl word.

avocado
Noun
pl -dos a pear-shaped tropical fruit with a leathery green skin and greenish-yellow flesh [Spanish aguacate]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.avocadoavocado - a pear-shaped tropical fruit with green or blackish skin and rich yellowish pulp enclosing a single large seed
edible fruit - edible reproductive body of a seed plant especially one having sweet flesh
avocado tree, Persea Americana, avocado - tropical American tree bearing large pulpy green fruits
2.avocadoavocado - tropical American tree bearing large pulpy green fruits
aguacate, alligator pear, avocado, avocado pear - a pear-shaped tropical fruit with green or blackish skin and rich yellowish pulp enclosing a single large seed
genus Persea, Persea - avocado
fruit tree - tree bearing edible fruit
Adj.1.avocado - of the dull yellowish green of the meat of an avocado
chromatic - being or having or characterized by hue
Translations
avocado [ævəˈkɑːdəu] n (BRIT) (also: avocado pear) → aguacate m; palta (LAM)

avocado [ævəˈkɑːdəu] n (Brit) (also: avocado pear) → avocat m

avocado [ævəˈkɑːdəu] (Brit) n (also: avocado pear) → Avocado f

avocado [ævəˈkɑːdəu] n (BRIT) (also: avocado pear) → avocado m inv

avocado
n avocado [ӕvəˈkaːdəu]
(alsoavocado pear) a kind of pear-shaped tropical fruit. avokado ثَمَرَة الكُمَّثْرى авокадо avokádo avokado die Avokado αβοκάντο aguacate avokaado درخت آوکادو avokado avocat אָבוֹקָדוֹ एक प्रकार काफल avokado avokádó apokat lárpera avocado アボカド 아보카도 avokada avokado avokado avocado avokado abacate avocado авокадо avokádo avokado avokado avokado อะโวคาโด ผลไม้เขตร้อนชนิดหนึ่งรูปร่างคล้ายลูกแพร์ avokado 鱷梨, 鱷梨樹 авокадо ایک پھل کا نام quả bơ ,


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? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
Those avocados that do not reach full size before falling off the tree develop from flowers that were never pollinated, either because of inclement weather that spoiled the pollen or lack of bees in your neighborhood.
But over the past year boatloads of Chilean avocados have driven down prices and hindered promotional efforts.
Reacting to rising demand worldwide, Mexican and international companies have focused on the world's main producer of avocados and the only part of Mexico that exports the fleshy, rich fruit, the state of Michoacan, in the country's central west.
 
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