Mexican husk tomato
- noun
- /ˈmɛksɪkən hʌsk təˈmeɪtoʊ/
- US
:
tomatillo
- You can substitute a Mexican husk tomato for regular tomatoes in many recipes.
Examples
-
The salsa was made with fresh Mexican husk tomato for a distinctive tangy flavor.
-
I bought some Mexican husk tomatoes at the farmer's market.
-
Farmers in southern Texas often cultivate the Mexican husk tomato for local markets.
-
The Mexican husk tomato is often used in salsas.
-
The Mexican husk tomato adds a unique flavor to traditional Mexican dishes.
-
Many chefs enjoy incorporating Mexican husk tomato into their recipes for a delicious twist.
-
You can find Mexican husk tomato at local farmers' markets during the summer months.
Synonyms
2
7.6
A small round green fruit with a thin papery husk used in Mexican cooking and the plant that grows it
A small plant from Mexico that produces edible green fruits like small tomatoes inside a thin paper husk
A small round fruit like a green tomato with a thin papery case
A plant with small fruit like tomatoes that you can eat
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun is fully compositional: 'Mexican' signals origin, 'husk' indicates a protective covering, and 'tomato' denotes a tomato-like fruit, so a learner who knows the three words can infer it refers to a tomato-like plant from Mexico with a husk. There is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift and the naming pattern is cross-linguistically common, making the meaning immediately accessible.
Etymology
Mexican husk tomato is also the name of the plant that makes the small, tomato-like fruits because the berries grow inside a paper husk and the plant comes from Mexico, so people used the same clear name for the plant.