Zapote
/səˈpoʊ.ti/noun
A tropical fruit tree or its sweet, pulpy fruit, especially in Latin America.
Did you know?Zapote is a Spanish borrowing from Nahuatl zapotl, a word used for several soft, edible fruits, showing how indigenous plant names often outlived empires.
Etymological Timeline
Nahuatl (pre-Columbian)
Nah
tzapotl / zapotl
“A soft, sweet fruit; used for several tropical fruits”
16th Century
Spanish
zapote
“A tropical fruit, especially in the Americas”
17th-18th Century
English
zapote
“A borrowed term for a tropical fruit or fruit tree”
Modern English
English
zapote
“A tropical fruit tree or its fruit, especially in Latin America”