cherimoya

noun

cher·​i·​moya ˌcher-ə-ˈmȯi-ə How to pronounce cherimoya (audio)
variants or less commonly chirimoya
: a round, oblong, or heart-shaped fruit with a pitted pale green rind that is borne by a widely cultivated tropical American tree (Annona cherimola) of the custard-apple family
also : this tree

Examples of cherimoya in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web It has subsequently been struck three times by artillery, and he’s lost tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of avocado and cherimoya crops, not to mention 50 beehives. Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024 Much of the food served, including Amazonas fruits like cherimoya and passion fruit, is grown on the property. Tom Vanderbilt, Travel + Leisure, 2 Dec. 2023 Pawpaws are the largest native fruit in North America — a creamy, tropical offering similar to a soursop, cherimoya or custard apple. Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2023 Some of the fruits included in our gift basket were cherimoya, kumquats, Asian pear, dragon fruit, passion fruit, mini bananas, feijoas, baby pineapples, papaya, and guava. Molly Blanco, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Apr. 2023 Across town, the restroom wallpaper of Breadbelly, which specializes in Asian and Asian-American pastries, features durian, cherimoya, mangosteen, and other treasured fruits of Southeast Asia. Naomi Tomky, Fortune, 1 Dec. 2019 This is the last month to plant subtropicals like banana, citrus, avocado, cherimoya or guava. Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Oct. 2019 In frost-free areas, also try cherimoya, guava, mango, and passion fruit. Thad Orr, Sunset, 22 Jan. 2018 Kiwano and cherimoya and rambutan, oh my! The produce aisle has never been so overrun with funky, exotic and otherwise unusual fruit. Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, 13 June 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cherimoya.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Spanish chirimoya

First Known Use

1736, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cherimoya was in 1736

Dictionary Entries Near cherimoya

Cite this Entry

“Cherimoya.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cherimoya. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on cherimoya

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!