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ki·wi·fruit

(kewe-frt′)

1. A woody vine (Actinidia deliciosa) native to China, cultivated especially in New Zealand for its edible fruit.

2. The fuzzy brown fruit of this plant, containing sweet green pulp.In both senses also calledChinese gooseberry.

[From the resemblance of the fruit's skin to the plumage of some species of kiwi birds.]

(click for a larger image)

kiwifruit

Actinidia deliciosa

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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