Definitions

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

  • noun A subtropical tree (Cyphomandra betacea) in the nightshade family, native to the central Andes and cultivated especially in New Zealand for its edible fruit.
  • noun The tart, dark red or yellow, plumlike fruit of this tree.

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

  • noun A small tree or shrub (Solanum betaceum syn. Cyphomandra betacea) which bears edible fruits.
  • noun A fruit of that tree.

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

  • noun South American arborescent shrub having pale pink blossoms followed by egg-shaped reddish-brown edible fruit somewhat resembling a tomato in flavor

Etymologies

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

[Alteration of tomatillo.]

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Examples

  • About twenty years ago, the name tamarillo was deliberately contrived, much as a brand name is.

    VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol XII No 2 1985

  • New Zealand growers adopted the name tamarillo for ` tree tomato 'expressly to recommend it with a nice-sounding name, and ` Chinese gooseberries' grown in New Zealand were renamed kiwi fruit to promote sales in the U.S.A.

    VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol VI No 1 1979

  • (Solanum muricatum), a prospect for premium fruit; and tamarillo (Cyphomandra betacea), a popular juice fruit.

    12: Seeds and germplasm 1996

  • Fare Game - Wairarapa venison open burger with tamarillo chutney and

    Stuff.co.nz - Stuff 2010

  • One is the cold appetiser of marinated salmon with tamarillo and walnuts which I wish we'd tried.

    Evening Standard - Home 2010

  • One is the cold appetiser of marinated salmon with tamarillo and walnuts which I wish we'd tried.

    Evening Standard - Home 2010

  • The palate entry is tart with tamarillo and sharp raspberry, fleshing out to sweeter red cherry and roasted beetroot with a soft and ethereal mid-palate - an easing back in the chair and nosing type of wine with a deceptive lightness - until the

    Moneycontrol Top Headlines 2010

  • I had vanilla-cured duck confit with celeriac puree, wilted spinach and tamarillo chutney

    mirror.co.uk - Home 2009

  • Occasionally, the chef may give a nod to French or Italian cooking, but tamarillo ratatouille, grilled squid and homemade coconut broth are never far away.

    NYT > Travel 2008

  • Occasionally, the chef may give a nod to French or Italian cooking, but tamarillo ratatouille, grilled squid and homemade coconut broth are never far away.

    NYT > Travel 2008

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