muskmelon

1 5.3

A sweet, fragrant fruit with orange flesh like a cantaloupe

noun
/ˈmʌskˌmɛlən/

: melón

The farmer displayed several types of muskmelon at the market, including cantaloupes and honeydews.

Examples

Back then, it was the economical way to get some meat in your diet when times were tough, a high-iron addition to a kid's lunch, or a fried-till-crispy comfort breakfast beside fat slices of tomato and muskmelon.

Blog text (1)
Farmers in Virginia enjoyed cucumbers, muskmelons, pumpkins, potatoes, parsnips.

Academic text (2014)
... They grew corn, pumpkins, beans, and muskmelons in their garden." (Tim McGee, 23 September 1952, 1-2)

Academic text (1999)
A ripe muskmelon is sweet and fragrant, making it a popular choice for summer salads.
She served slices of muskmelon alongside the main course to add a refreshing touch.

Synonyms

melon

vsmuskmelon

86 1.0

A large round or oval fruit with thick skin and soft sweet inside like a watermelon

is a specific fragrant and often netted member of that broad fruit group

cantaloupe

vsmuskmelon

20 3.1

A round or oval melon with rough tan skin and sweet orange flesh

is the well-known orange-fleshed example of the fragrant, edible group

honeydew

vsmuskmelon

4 2.0

A large round melon with sweet pale green flesh

is sweeter and more fragrant with different rind texture and flesh color

mushmelon

vsmuskmelon

Archaic

1 3.7

A round fruit with sweet orange flesh like a cantaloupe

is the general name for that fragrant, net-like rind variety

honeydew melon

vsmuskmelon

1 1.0

A large sweet round fruit with pale skin and light green flesh

is more aromatic and often has a net-like rind and different flesh color

casaba melon

vsmuskmelon

1 4.9

A large sweet melon with pale white flesh and a yellow rind

is the fragrant netted type rather than the pale-fleshed yellow-rind form

Cucumis melo cantalupensis

vsmuskmelon

Specialized

7.5

A type of melon with rough tan skin and sweet orange flesh

is one specific orange-fleshed form within the fragrant, often netted group

cantaloup

vsmuskmelon

1.8

A round melon with rough tan skin and sweet orange flesh

is the aromatic, netted-rind form rather than rough tan rind variety

Cucumis melo reticulatus

vsmuskmelon

Specialized

9.9

A melon with a net-like skin and sweet green flesh that people eat

is the broader fragrant category that includes netted, thin-rind types

netted melon

vsmuskmelon

4.4

A sweet melon with a net-like skin and green flesh

is the wider fragrant class that this patterned rind form belongs to

net melon

vsmuskmelon

4.4

A sweet melon with green flesh and a net-like rind

is the umbrella term covering this net-like, sweet-fleshed cultivated type

nutmeg melon

vsmuskmelon

4.9

A melon with rough netted skin and sweet green flesh

is the general fragrant category that includes this netted variety

Cucumis melo

vsmuskmelon

Specialized

8.1

A vine that makes sweet melons like cantaloupe or honeydew

is one common edible variety within that botanical species

sweet melon

vsmuskmelon

2.6

A round fruit with sweet, juicy flesh eaten fresh

is the specific fragrant type often with a net-like rind rather than any sweet fruit

Persian melon

vsmuskmelon

2.8

A large sweet melon with smooth skin and soft orange flesh

is the fragrant, often netted, rounder variety rather than smooth-rind oblong types

How Fragrant

cantaloupe

20 3.1

muskmelon

1 5.3

honeydew

4 2.0

watermelon

89 1.0

Surface Forms

muskmelon singular

muskmelons plural

Morphology

muskmelon = musk + melon (transparent) = musk + melon

A straightforward compound of the nouns 'musk' and 'melon' meaning a melon with a musky scent; components combine in the expected way.

Etymology

The word muskmelon comes from two simple parts: musk, meaning a strong 'sweet smell', and melon, meaning 'a large round fruit'. So a muskmelon is a melon known for its sweet, fragrant flesh.