A small, sour apple that grows on a wild or ornamental tree, often used for making jelly or cider.
Compound word from 'crab' (possibly from Old Norse 'krabbi' meaning crab, or from a word meaning sour/harsh) plus 'apple.' The term has been used since medieval times for these tart wild apples.
Nobody knows for certain why sour apples got called 'crab' apples, but some think it's because the sour taste makes you scrunch your face like a crab—or because crab apples are as prickly and difficult as crabs!
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