papaya

[ puh-pah-yuh ]

noun

1. the large, yellow, melonlike fruit of a tropical American shrub or small tree, Carica papaya, eaten raw or cooked.
2. the tree itself.

papaya

/ pəˈpaɪə /

noun

1. a Caribbean evergreen tree, Carica papaya, with a crown of large dissected leaves and large green hanging fruit: family Caricaceae
2. the fruit of this tree, having a yellow or reddish orange sweet edible pulp and small black seeds

Derived Forms

• paˈpayan, adjective

Other Words From

• pa·payan adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of papaya¹

1760–70; < Spanish < Carib (Hispaniola)

Word History and Origins

Origin of papaya¹

C15 papaye, from Spanish papaya, from an American Indian language; compare Carib ababai

Example Sentences

Nearby trees offer dragonfruit and limes, and there's even a smattering of papaya plants.

From Salon

The couple already had a son of their own living at their ranch-style house in a working class part of La Puente, with a papaya tree out front and a rubber tree in the back.

From Los Angeles Times

If small-scale farmers grow fruit trees amid their crops, for example, they can eat those bananas or papayas themselves while selling the rest of the harvest.

From Science Daily

For one more night, the papaya bar still beckons at the Conga Room in downtown L.A.

From Los Angeles Times

Sparks said it’s possible to get papaya from a plant grown from seed in less than a year’s time.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cantaloupe
• gourd
• watermelon