Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A deciduous tree (Prunus armeniaca) native to Asia, having alternate leaves and clusters of usually white flowers.
  • noun The edible orange-yellow fruit of this tree.
  • noun A moderate, light, or strong orange to strong orange-yellow.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A roundish
  • noun pubescent, orange-colored fruit, of a rich aromatic flavor, the produce of a tree of the plum kind, Prunus Armeniaca, natural order Rosaceæ.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Bot.) A fruit allied to the plum, of an orange color, oval shape, and delicious taste; also, the tree (Prunus Armeniaca of Linnæus) which bears this fruit. By cultivation it has been introduced throughout the temperate zone.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A round sweet and juicy stone fruit, resembling peach or plum in taste, with a yellow-orange flesh, lightly fuzzy skin and a large seed inside.
  • noun The apricot tree, Prunus armeniaca
  • noun A pale yellow-orange colour, like that of an apricot fruit.
  • noun the junction of the brain and brain stem on a target, used as an aiming point to ensure a one-shot kill.
  • adjective of a pale yellowish-orange colour, like that of an apricot.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun downy yellow to rosy-colored fruit resembling a small peach
  • noun Asian tree having clusters of usually white blossoms and edible fruit resembling the peach
  • noun a shade of pink tinged with yellow

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Alteration of earlier abrecock, ultimately from Arabic al-barqūq, the plum : al-, the + barqūq, plum (from Greek praikokion, apricot, from Latin praecoquus, ripe early : prae-, pre- + coquere, to cook, ripen; see pekw- in Indo-European roots).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Alteration (under the influence of French abricot) of apricock, itself an alteration (under influence of Latin apricum 'sunny place') of abrecock, from dialectal Catalan abrecoc, abercoc, variant of standard albercoc, from Arabic البرقوق (al-barqūq) 'plums', from Byzantine Greek βερικοκκία (berikókkia) (pl.), from Late Greek πραικὄκιον (praikókion), from Late Latin (persica) præcocia (pl.), (mālum) præcoquum, neuter of Latin (persicum) præcox, literally 'over-ripe peach'.

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Examples

  • WORD CORRECT PRONUNCIATION alma mater _alma mater_ apparatus _apparatus_ apricot _apricot_ attaché _attasha'_ audacious _audashus_ ballet _bal'la_ blasé _blaza'_ blatant _blatant_ chasten _chasen_

    Practical Grammar and Composition Thomas Wood

  • It was there to reassure the audience that despite his spending his day among television stars, Pulitzer Prize winning playwrights, flamboyant costume designers, and other writers, not to mention beautiful actresses bedecked in apricot bows, that Rob was still a regular guy.

    Lance Mannion: 2010

  • The tiny casita glowed in apricot hues and beamed welcoming blue trim around the doorway.

    Mexico's Day of the Dead - resource page 2009

  • The tiny casita glowed in apricot hues and beamed welcoming blue trim around the doorway.

    Mexico's Day of the Dead - resource page 2009

  • It was there to reassure the audience that despite his spending his day among television stars, Pulitzer Prize winning playwrights, flamboyant costume designers, and other writers, not to mention beautiful actresses bedecked in apricot bows, that Rob was still a regular guy.

    How hero-worshipping Rob Petrie ruined my life 2010

  • The tiny casita glowed in apricot hues and beamed welcoming blue trim around the doorway.

    Mexico's Day of the Dead - resource page 2009

  • The apricot is the commonest fruit, and there are many different kinds varying considerably in colour and flavour; perhaps one of the best is a white fleshed variety called "kaisi."

    Connecting Histories in Afghanistan: Market Relations and State Formation on a Colonial Frontier 2008

  • The tiny casita glowed in apricot hues and beamed welcoming blue trim around the doorway.

    Meeting the bony woman 2007

  • The tiny casita glowed in apricot hues and beamed welcoming blue trim around the doorway.

    Meeting the bony woman 2007

  • The dried apricot is tasty to eat by itself, but the best part is the tiny kernel hidden inside.

    Archive 2005-11-01 Nupur 2005

Comments

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  • hehe! this one brought a giggle and a smile! =D

    December 10, 2006

  • the precocious fruit

    February 9, 2007

  • How is it precocious?

    June 12, 2008

  • In California, where apricots are grown, and the West in general, the word is pronounced with a long A, as in ape.

    June 24, 2009

  • US Railway Association, Standard Cipher Code, 1906: Telegraphers' shorthand notation meaning "advise what arrangement you make".

    January 19, 2013