epicarp
- noun
- /ˈɛpɪˌkɑrp/
- Specialized
- When peeling a peach, you remove the epicarp to reveal the sweet flesh inside.
Examples
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The epicarp of an orange is thick and often bitter.
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Grape epicarp contains pigments that give the fruit its color.
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The epicarp protects the fruit.
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Look at the epicarp of this peach!
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The epicarp of an orange is thick and often bitter.
-
When peeling a peach, you remove the epicarp to reveal the sweet flesh inside.
-
Grape epicarp contains pigments that give the fruit its color.
Synonyms
The thin outer part of a fruit or vegetable
The outer skin of a fruit like a peach or grape
Part of a fruit that surrounds and protects the seeds
Surface Forms
Morphology
epicarp = epi + carp
Formed from Greek combining elements ('epi-' + '-carp') that are not productive standalone English words and the term is specialized botanical vocabulary, so learners cannot reliably derive the meaning from common English base words.
Etymology
The word epicarp comes from the Greek parts epi- meaning 'on' and carp meaning 'fruit', and it is like epidermis, the skin of a person, but for fruit. So epicarp is the outer skin you see on grapes, peaches, or oranges.