Main Entry:

sap·o·dil·la

Pronunciation:

\ˌsa-pə-ˈdi-lə, -ˈdē-yə\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Spanish zapotillo, diminutive of zapote sapodilla fruit, from Nahuatl tzapotl

Date:

1697

: a tropical American evergreen tree (Manilkara zapota syn. Achras zapota of the family Sapotaceae, the sapodilla family) with hard reddish wood, a latex that yields chicle, and a rough-skinned brownish fruit with sweet flesh ; also : its fruit

[sapodilla illustration]