Apricots

/ˈeɪprɪkɑːts/ noun

Definition

Small, round, orange fruits with a smooth pit inside, related to peaches but smaller and slightly tarter.

Etymology

From Portuguese 'albricoque,' from Arabic 'al-birquq.' The fruit traveled from Central Asia along trade routes, and the word traveled with it.

Kelly Says

Apricots were so exotic in medieval Europe that the word bounced through multiple languages—Arabic to Portuguese to English—and the 'a' at the beginning got added because 'albricoque' sounded like 'a bricoque'!

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