chayote
[chahy-
oh
-tee]
/tʃaɪˈoʊ ti/
noun
1.
a tropical American vine,
Sechium edule,
of the gourd family, having triangular leaves and small, white flowers.
2.
the green or white, furrowed, usually pear-shaped, edible fruit of this plant.
Also,
choyote
.
Also called
christophene
,
mirliton
,
vegetable pear
.
Origin
1885-90,
Americanism; <
Mexican Spanish
<
Nahuatl
chayohtli
Examples from the web for
chayote
These three exotic vegetables: calabaza squash,
chayote
squash, and bitter melon are all becoming more mainstream.
British Dictionary definitions for
chayote
chayote
/
tʃɑːˈjəʊteɪ;
tʃaɪˈəʊtɪ
/
noun
1.
a tropical American cucurbitaceous climbing plant,
Sechium edule,
that has edible pear-shaped fruit enclosing a single enormous seed
2.
the fruit of this plant, which is cooked and eaten as a vegetable
Word Origin
from Spanish, from Nahuatl
chayotli