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kumquat

 - 3 dictionary results

kum⋅quat

[kuhm-kwot]
–noun
1. a small, round or oblong citrus fruit having a sweet rind and acid pulp, used chiefly for preserves.
2. any of several citrus shrubs of the genus Fortunella, native to China, that bear this fruit.
Also, cumquat.


Origin:
1865–70; < dial. Chin (Guangdong) gāmgwāt gold citrus fruit, akin to Chin jīnjù
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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kum·quat also cum·quat   (kŭm'kwŏt')   
n.  
  1. Any of several trees or shrubs of the genus Fortunella, having small, edible, orangelike fruit.

  2. The fruit of these plants, having an acid pulp and a thin, edible rind. It is the smallest of the citrus fruits.


[Chinese (Cantonese) kamkwat, equivalent to Chinese (Mandarin) xīn, gold + Chinese (Mandarin) , orange, tangerine.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

kumquat 
1699, from Chinese (Cantonese) kamkwat, from kam "golden" + kwat "orange." Cantonese pronunciation of Chinese kin-ku.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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