Kiwifruit
/ˈkiːwiːˌfruːt/noun
A small brown, fuzzy fruit with green or yellow flesh and tiny black seeds.
Did you know?The fruit was widely called “Chinese gooseberry” until New Zealand exporters adopted “kiwifruit” around 1959, partly to make it more marketable overseas and avoid trade complications.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bhrug-
“To enjoy or make use of; the ancient root underlying Latin words connected with enjoyment and produce.”
Classical Latin
Latin
fructus
“Enjoyment, benefit, produce, or fruit; derived from frui, “to enjoy.””
14th Century
English
fruit
“Edible reproductive growth of a plant; borrowed through Old French from Latin fructus.”
19th Century
Māori
kiwi
“The name of New Zealand’s flightless nocturnal bird, probably imitative of its call.”
Early 20th Century
English
Chinese gooseberry
“The earlier English name for the fruit now generally called kiwifruit.”
1959
New Zealand English
kiwifruit
“A new export name formed from kiwi, referring to New Zealand, and fruit.”
Modern English
English
kiwifruit
“The established international name for the cultivated fruit, especially in American and New Zealand usage.”