Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A tree (Durio zibethinus) of Southeast Asia, bearing edible fruit.
- noun The fruit of this plant, having a hard prickly rind and soft pulp with a strong odor.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A tree, the Durio Zibethinus.
- noun The fruit of this tree.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Bot.) The fruit of the durio. It is oval or globular, and eight or ten inches long. It has a hard prickly rind, containing a soft, cream-colored pulp, of a most delicious flavor and a very offensive odor. The seeds are roasted and eaten like chestnuts.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Any of several
trees , genus Durio, of southeastAsia . - noun The
spiky edible fruit of this tree, known for its unpleasant odor.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun huge fruit native to southeastern Asia `smelling like Hell and tasting like Heaven'; seeds are roasted and eaten like nuts
- noun tree of southeastern Asia having edible oval fruit with a hard spiny rind
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Available in durian flavor or pandan/coconut, even my 4 year old lily-white stepson likes them.
You gonna eat that? Random musings on food and life in Orange County, California » Treat for Tet 2005
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Available in durian flavor or pandan/coconut, even my 4 year old lily-white stepson likes them.
You gonna eat that? Random musings on food and life in Orange County, California » 2005 » January 2005
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I also have never successfully tracked down a durian from a reputable source.
My Foodie Desires charity_whore 2004
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Horns, at that time sounded from all directions and Kumpee, the fetid one, at times irascibly chewed the fetid fruit called durian or slowly slurped from the beer can in his hands allowing the liquid in his mouth to spread and re-spread before swallowing.
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The durian is like no other fruit from which I could offer a comparison: it contains no juice, it is not sweet, it is not acid; it is a food more than a refreshment.
Insulinde: Experiences of a Naturalist's Wife in the Eastern Archipelago 1887
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He doesn't eat the notoriously ass-smelling South Asian fruit called durian because he wants to shock - he loves the stank spine ball for its custardy consistency and nutty taste, and he revels in the rarity of cutting open a ripe durian while floating downriver on a houseboat, as he did in one episode from Indonesia.
Forbes.com: News John Giuffo 2011
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The durian is the most odoriferous fruit in the world.
The Fruit Hunters Adam Leith Gollner 2008
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The durian is the most odoriferous fruit in the world.
The Fruit Hunters Adam Leith Gollner 2008
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The durian is the most odoriferous fruit in the world.
The Fruit Hunters Adam Leith Gollner 2008
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The durian is a favourite fruit with most people who can overcome its smell, which certainly is no very easy matter.
Trade and Travel in the Far East or Recollections of twenty-one years passed in Java, Singapore, Australia and China. G. F. Davidson
pomegranate commented on the word durian
Once you get past the smell of this fruit, it is really quite tasty! Hold your nose and take a bite. An expensive Thai delicacy!
December 8, 2007
bilby commented on the word durian
I liked those lists of regulations on the back of hotel doors in Indonesia saying things like no cooking allowed in the room, no guests after 11pm, and no durians under any circumstances!
How would you describe a durian pomegranate?
December 8, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word durian
A durian pomegranate? That's taking hybridization way too far!
December 8, 2007
john commented on the word durian
Don't they make countertops out of this?
January 24, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word durian
Interesting usage that describes this fruit:
"'Some people eat them,' remarked van Buren, and then he cried 'Take care.' The durian fell with a heavy thump, an object the size and shape of a coconut but covered with strong thickset spikes... 'Ugly spikes: I have had several patients with dangerous lacerated wounds from a durian falling on their heads. The orang-utang opens them, however, spikes, coriaceous skin and all. This one is quite ripe, I am happy to say. Try a piece.'
"'Stephen realized that the smell of decay came not from their dissection but from the fruit, and it was not without a certain effort that he overcame his reluctance. 'Oh,' said he a moment later, 'how extraordinarily good; and what an extraordinary contradiction between the senses of smell and taste. I had supposed them to be inseparably allied. How I applaud the orang-utang's discrimination.'"
--Patrick O'Brian, The Thirteen Gun Salute, 190–191
March 4, 2008
reesetee commented on the word durian
Ha! I love the last sentence in that quote!
March 4, 2008
kewpid commented on the word durian
The trick is to store it in the fridge. Cold = less odour. Though I think people exaggerate how "bad" durians smell.
June 14, 2008
bilby commented on the word durian
I think O'Brian's talking through his clacker. They taste pretty much as they smell, a hashmagandy of spaghetti, coffee and sweet tamarind flavours. Overrated.
June 14, 2008
dontcry commented on the word durian
Didn't they sing "Hungry Like the Wolf?"
Didn't they sing "Hungry Like the Wolf?"
June 15, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word durian
How I applaud the orang-utang's discrimination.
October 20, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word durian
I am dense as hell. I just got dontcry's comment. Har!
July 16, 2009
ruzuzu commented on the word durian
Me: "A tofu bánh mì and a boba tea, please."
Cashier: "Boba tea.... What flavor?"
Me: "Durian."
Cashier: "You sure? Have you ever tried it?"
Me: "No... it's okay. I'm sure."
She shook her head at me, but wrote it down on the ticket. Later she caught a whiff of it as she was handing it to me. She looked disgusted. Boba tea, also called bubble tea, is the drink that looks like a polka-dot milkshake with colored tapioca pearls in it. Today, because of the durian flavor, the pearls reminded me of pearl onions. It did seem to have a hint of almonds... and gym socks.
June 2, 2010