quince

[ kwins ]

noun
  1. either of two small trees, Cydonia oblonga or C. sinensis, of the rose family, bearing hard, fragrant, yellowish fruit used chiefly for making jelly or preserves.

  2. the fruit of such a tree.

Origin of quince

1
1275–1325; Middle English quince, apparently originally plural (taken as singular) of quyne, coyn<Middle French cooin<Latin cotōneum, akin to cydōnium<Greek (mêlon) Kydṓnion quince, literally, (apple) of Cydonia

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British Dictionary definitions for quince

quince

/ (kwɪns) /


noun
  1. a small widely cultivated Asian rosaceous tree, Cydonia oblonga, with pinkish-white flowers and edible pear-shaped fruits

  2. the acid-tasting fruit of this tree, much used in preserves

  1. Also: Japanese or flowering quince another name for japonica

Origin of quince

1
C14 qwince plural of quyn quince, from Old French coin, from Latin cotōneum, from Greek kudōnion quince, Cydonian (apple)

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