breadfruit

Any of species Artocarpus altilis of evergreen trees, native to islands of the east Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean.

Noun

  1. Any of species Artocarpus altilis of evergreen trees, native to islands of the east Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean.
    • On our return we stopped at Mr. Wijeysakera's home, quaffed the juice of King Cocoanut, looked through his extensive grounds, and saw several kinds of palm, the breadfruit-tree, the jackfruit-tree, the nux-vomica-tree,...
    • There is also a fine tract of guano, inland, where grow limes, oranges, breadfruit and mummy-apples. - 1929, Robert Dean Frisbee, The Book of Puka-Puka, Eland, published 2019, page 53:
  2. The large round fruit of this tree.

Origin

Calque of taxonomic name Artocarpus; by surface analysis, bread (calque of ἄρτος (ártos)) + fruit (calque of κᾰρπός (kărpós)).

Forms

breadfruits breadfruit

Synonyms

breadfruit tree

Derived

African breadfruit (Artocarpus treculianus and Treculia africana false breadfruit highland breadfruit Mexican breadfruit seeded breadfruit