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a·vo·ca·do

(ä′və-kädō, ăv′ə-)

n. pl. a·vo·ca·dos

a. A tropical American tree (Persea americana) having oval or pear-shaped fruit with leathery skin, yellowish-green flesh, and a large seed.

b. The edible fruit of this tree. Also called alligator pear, avocado pear.

2. A dull green.

[Early Modern English avogato, avocato, avocado, ultimately (probably with phonetic influence from obsolete Spanish avocado, lawyer (now abogado); compare French avocat, lawyer, avocado) from American Spanish aguacate, avocado, from Nahuatl āhuacatl.]

(click for a larger image)

avocado

Persea americana

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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