Manilkara zapota
- noun
- /ˌmænɪlˈkɑːrə zəˈpoʊtə/
- Specialized
:
zapote
- Farmers in Central America often cultivate Manilkara zapota for both its fruit and chicle gum.
Examples
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In some countries, the latex from Manilkara zapota trees is used to make chewing gum.
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The fruit of the Manilkara zapota is sweet and has a malty flavor.
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The Manilkara zapota tree can grow up to 30 meters tall.
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I tasted a Manilkara zapota fruit for the first time in Mexico.
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Farmers in Central America often cultivate Manilkara zapota for both its fruit and chicle gum.
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The fruit of the Manilkara zapota is sweet and has a malty flavor.
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In some countries, the latex from Manilkara zapota trees is used to make chewing gum.
Synonyms
A large tropical evergreen tree that produces sweet fruit and sap used to make chewing gum
A large evergreen tree from tropical America that makes sweet fruit and natural chewing gum
Large tropical tree that makes natural gum and grows sweet brown fruit
Surface Forms
Morphology
Manilkara + zapota
This is a scientific Latin binomial (a proper name) rather than a compositional English phrase; the label denotes a specific species (sapodilla) and this meaning is lexicalized. The constituents are technical or non-transparent ('Manilkara' is a genus name and 'zapota' is not an ordinary English word), so a B1 learner who knows the parts would not reliably derive the everyday meaning 'sapodilla / a tropical fruit tree'.
Etymology
Manilkara zapota may get its second name zapota from a native word for a soft, sweet fruit, and its English name 'sapodilla' reminds us of the sticky 'sap' people tapped to make chicle gum. So the name helps us remember that this tree is known for both sweet fruit and the latex used 'to make chewing gum'.
