drupe

noun

: a one-seeded indehiscent fruit having a hard bony endocarp, a fleshy mesocarp, and a thin exocarp that is flexible (as in the cherry) or dry and almost leathery (as in the almond)

Examples of drupe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Bright red drupes often remain well into October, accenting the foliage and attracting hungry songbirds to the autumn garden. Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2024 Note: Sloes are a type of drupe (a stone fruit that is not a plum nor a berry) that tastes a lot like a cherry. Jeff Burkhart, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2024 Types of peppercorns Different types of peppercorns—green, black, and white—all start the same way: as a drupe, growing in clusters on a flowering vine of the plant Piper nigrum. Antara Sinha, Bon Appétit, 7 Jan. 2024 The tree is known for its aromatic, white-pinkish flowers pollinated by honeybees and grows fruit called a drupe which resembles a peach or plum. USA TODAY, 4 July 2023 Fruit is a one-fourth-inch shiny black drupe that is rarely eaten by birds. Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 17 Mar. 2023 Coconut is Not a Nut Technically speaking, a coconut is a fibrous one-seeded drupe. Elsbeth Sites, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2014 Juicy peaches are part of the stone fruit, or drupe, family. Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Sep. 2022 But the monumental tree in the village of Vouves does more than make drupe fruit. Richard Stenger, CNN, 10 Feb. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'drupe.' 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

New Latin drupa, from Latin, overripe olive, from Greek dryppa olive

First Known Use

circa 1753, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of drupe was circa 1753

Dictionary Entries Near drupe

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

drupe

noun
: a fleshy fruit (as the plum, cherry, or peach) having one seed enclosed in a hard stony material

More from Merriam-Webster on drupe

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