Where does “grapefruit” come from?
Grapefruit, a hybrid citrus fruit first cultivated in Barbados in the 18th century, derives from English grape and fruit, with fruit tracing through Middle English frute, Old French fruit, Latin fructus, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European ger-.
grapefruit (English): The tree of the species "Citrus paradisi", a...
Definitions
- The tree of the species "Citrus paradisi", a...
Ancestry of “grapefruit”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | fruit | In general, a product of plant growth useful to... |
| 2 | French | fruit | fruit |
| 3 | Middle French | fruict | fruit |
| 4 | Old French | fruit | fruit |
| 5 | Latin | frūctus | — |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | δῶρον | gift; hand's width |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | dṓron | gift |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | déh₃rom | gift |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₃- | to give |
Words derived from “grapefruit”