papaya

noun

pa·​pa·​ya pə-ˈpī-ə 

: a tropical American tree (Carica papaya of the family Caricaceae, the papaya family) having an oblong to globose yellow edible fruit with numerous black seeds in a central cavity

also : its fruit

Examples of papaya in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For many people, som tam conjures up images of shredded green papaya. — Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 July 2026

Of all the tropical juices — mango, papaya, guava and passion fruit — the most versatile and widely available is pineapple. — Jolene Thym, Mercury News, 20 July 2026

The mango papaya salad wakes the table up quickly with spicy chili ginger cashew, watermelon radish, peanuts, and Thai basil. — Rafael Peña, Miami Herald, 13 July 2026

El Niño could result in crop losses and planting delays in Brazil for onions, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, apples and grapes, and lower reservoir levels could disrupt mango, papaya and grape crops, analysts wrote. — Ty Roush, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Spanish, borrowed from Taino papaya (or from a cognate Arawakan word)

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for papaya

• messiah
• nyaya
• pariah
• rupiah
• shariah
• vinaya
• gaia
• maia
• maya
• playa
• via
• hezekiah

Kids Definition

papaya

noun

pa·​pa·​ya pə-ˈpī-ə 

: an oblong edible yellow fruit with many black seeds that grows on a tropical American tree with large leaves

also : the tree

Medical Definition

papaya

noun

pa·​pa·​ya pə-ˈpī-ə 

: a tropical American tree of the genus Carica (C. papaya) with large oblong yellow edible fruit

also : its fruit which is the source of papain