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am·ba·rel·la

(ăm′bə-rĕlə)

1. A tree (Spondias cytherea or S. dulcis) native to the Pacific islands and grown in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible fruits.

2. The orange-yellow, egg-shaped fruit of this tree, eaten fresh or pickled, or used to make preserves. In both senses also called June plum.

[Sinhalese ämbarälla, from Sanskrit āmravāṭakaḥ, a kind of tree : āmraḥ, mango tree (from amlaḥ, tart) + vāṭakaḥ, diminutive of vāṭaḥ, enclosure, garden; see wer-⁴ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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