star apple
- noun
:
caimito
- The star apple is a sweet fruit that is shaped like a star when cut in half.
Examples
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In the Caribbean, the star apple tree provides shade and delicious fruits for the locals.
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In April 2002, a party of nine chimpanzees was feeding in a Chrysophyllum gorungosanum tree (a species of star apple).
Academic text (2003) -
My grandmother used to make a refreshing drink from the juicy star apples we picked from the tree.
Synonyms
An evergreen tree from the Caribbean with purple fruit you can eat that forms a star when cut
An evergreen tree from the Caribbean and Central America that produces edible purple, star-shaped fruit and golden, silky leaf undersides
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'star' + 'apple' indicates a type of apple associated with a star-like quality (here the star-shaped cross section). This follows common noun-noun naming patterns and a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the fruit sense without prior exposure.
Etymology
Star apple may come from the fruit's look when you cut it: the inside makes a clear star shape, so speakers put together star and apple to name the sweet fruit. That's why star apple now means the fruit with the star pattern inside.
