anchovy pear

9.9

A tree from the West Indies that makes a fruit like a mango often pickled to eat with meals

noun

: pera de anchoveta

The pickled anchovy pear is a popular delicacy in the Caribbean.

Examples

The anchovy pear tree grows in tropical regions of the West Indies.
She brought a jar of anchovy pear to the picnic for everyone to try.
I love anchovy pear salad!
The anchovy pear tree grows in tropical climates.
The pickled anchovy pear is a popular delicacy in the Caribbean.
She brought a jar of anchovy pear to the picnic for everyone to try.
I love anchovy pear salad!

Synonyms

anchovy pear tree

vsanchovy pear

9.7

A Caribbean tree with edible fruit that looks like a mango

also covers the fruit and its common pickled food use

Grias cauliflora

vsanchovy pear

Specialized

9.9

A Caribbean tree with edible fruits like mangoes

is the common term focusing on fruit and culinary use rather than taxonomy

river pear

vsanchovy pear

9.9

A Caribbean fruit like a mango often eaten pickled

also refers to the tree and stresses the fruit as a pickled condiment

Surface Forms

anchovy pear singular

anchovy pears plural

Morphology

anchovy + pear

Although 'pear' signals a fruit, 'anchovy' is a fish and does not transparently describe a West Indian tree or a mango-like, pickled fruit; the compound is a lexicalized plant name whose sense is not compositionally derived from its parts. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words would likely be misled or unable to predict this specific botanical/culinary meaning without prior exposure.

Etymology

The noun anchovy pear names a West Indian fruit that looks like a pear. One popular story says people often eat it pickled and find its taste strong and salty like an anchovy, so the name stuck and now refers to the pickled fruit used as a 'condiment'.