Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A tropical Southeast Asian tree (Citrus maxima) closely related to the grapefruit and having very large round fruit with a thick rind and coarse-grained pulp.
  • noun The edible yellow fruit of this tree.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A variety of the shaddock, smaller than the shaddock proper, but much larger than an orange; the grapefruit. Also called forbidden-fruit. Compare pompelmous.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A variety of shaddock, called also grape fruit.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A large yellow citrus fruit native to southeastern Asia and Malaysia. It has a sweet flesh and is about 25 centimeters in diameter.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun large pear-shaped fruit similar to grapefruit but with coarse dry pulp
  • noun southeastern Asian tree producing large fruits resembling grapefruits

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Probably alteration of pompelmous.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Origin uncertain; perhaps an alteration of Dutch pampelmoes ("shaddock"); alternatively, perhaps an alteration of a compound of pome ("apple") + melon, or an alteration of a compound of their cognates (forms such as pomello and pomolo suggest the influence of pome or its cognates, but the hypothesised compound of pome + melon (or mutatis mutandis) is unattested).

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Examples

  • After ensuring that the dogs are securely tied up, my sister and I undertake a brave walk through the front yard inhaling the fragrant roses and jasmine of many varieties, discussing if the lone “bubbleemoose” aka pomelo was ripe enough to be eaten.

    Archive 2008-06-01 Jyothsna 2008

  • After ensuring that the dogs are securely tied up, my sister and I undertake a brave walk through the front yard inhaling the fragrant roses and jasmine of many varieties, discussing if the lone “bubbleemoose” aka pomelo was ripe enough to be eaten.

    Manga Perukku - A union of Mango and Coconut Jyothsna 2008

  • The large citrus is called pomelo to everyone else.

    Rubber Slippers In Italy 2008

  • Yum som-o, alternately found as yam or even yaam som-o, is quite simply pomelo salad (som-o means "pomelo").

    Bangkok's Pomelo Salad Can Be Dressed Up or Down John Krich 2009

  • This was evidently named by someone who has never seen either a lime or a melon, let alone a pomelo.

    Limecat Halloween Costume » E-Mail 2009

  • This grapefruit-pomelo cross was developed by California breeders in the 1950s, but its often green exterior turned off consumers.

    News You Can Eat 2011

  • Newley Purnell for the Wall Street Journal On this side street, between Langsuan and Tonson roads, vendors sell fried rice, noodles, stir-fried vegetables, watermelon and pomelo by the slice, fresh spring rolls, deep-fried bananas and more.

    Eating in Southeast Asia 2011

  • Oh yes, I love pomelo, the texture is so much fun - popping the thingies with my tongue ... whatever they're called.

    An epiphany about grapefruit | Homesick Texan Homesick Texan 2009

  • This was evidently named by someone who has never seen either a lime or a melon, let alone a pomelo.

    Limecat Halloween Costume 2009

  • This nameless neighborhood is a haunt of the stylish, and people-watching vantage points range from teahouses and corner fruit stands (sample some pomelo or other local produce) to hip lounge bars like 2046.

    After Hours: Taipei 2010

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