pomelo

Meaning

Noun

• The large fruit of the Citrus maxima (syn. Citrus grandis (species)), native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, with a thick green or yellow rind, a thick white pith, and semi-sweet translucent pale flesh.
• The tree which produces this fruit.
• the grapefruit.

Related

Similar words

• See grapefruit

Origin

• Of uncertain etymology, though possibly a variant of earlier pampelmoes, from French, Dutch, Portuguese sources ultimately equivalent to "thick lemon" or transcribing the Tamil பம்ப ளிமாசு. Alternatively, possibly from pome + melon or some cognate; though such a compound is currently unattested, some early variant spellings seem to show influence from pome.