dessert apple

1 2.0

An apple grown to be eaten raw, usually sweet and good for snacking

noun
/dɪˈzɜrt ˈæpəl/

: manzana de mesa

This orchard is famous for its crisp dessert apples that are perfect for snacking.

Examples

The Honeycrisp is a popular dessert apple enjoyed for its crisp texture and sweet flavor.
At the farmer's market, I found several varieties of dessert apples ideal for fresh eating.
Only dessert apples are selected for the fruit bowls in the hotel rooms.
She prefers a sweet dessert apple to a tart cooking apple when packing lunches.
I love eating a dessert apple after dinner.
These dessert apples are perfect for a snack.
For a refreshing snack, I prefer a crunchy, juicy apple that is perfect for dessert.

Synonyms

Delicious

vsdessert apple

2 3.0

A sweet apple with a crisp texture and mild taste

focuses on being grown to be eaten raw rather than on taste traits

eating apple

vsdessert apple

1 1.0

A type of apple that you eat raw

is a selected type bred for eating and excludes cider use

Antonyms

cooking apple

1 2.8

An apple used for cooking, like in pies or sauces, not for eating raw

How Tasty

dessert apple

1 2.0

cooking apple

1 2.8

codling

Archaic

8.2

Surface Forms

dessert apple singular

dessert apples plural

Morphology

dessert + apple

The meaning 'an apple grown and selected to be eaten raw as a dessert' is directly derivable from combining 'dessert' (the final sweet course) with 'apple' (the fruit); the first noun simply specifies the apple's use. This is a straightforward noun–noun compounding/attributive pattern common in English (and cross-linguistically), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Dessert apple: The name dessert apple comes from the idea of serving a sweet dessert made of an apple at the end of a meal. So a dessert apple is a sweet apple variety meant to be 'eaten raw', not used 'for cooking' or 'for cider'.