A type of fruit with a hard pit or stone in the center, surrounded by flesh, like a peach or cherry.
From Latin drupa, borrowed from Greek druppa, meaning 'overripe olive.' The word entered botanical Latin to describe stone fruits with their characteristic hard endocarp (pit).
Drupes are nature's way of protecting seeds—the hard pit is basically a fortress that keeps the baby plant safe until an animal eats the fruit and carries the seed far away. That's why so many delicious fruits we love are drupes!
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