kumquat

or cum·quat

[ kuhm-kwot ]
/ ˈkʌm kwɒt /

noun

a small, round or oblong citrus fruit having a sweet rind and acid pulp, used chiefly for preserves.
any of several citrus shrubs of the genus Fortunella, native to China, that bear this fruit.

Origin of kumquat

1865–70; < dialectal Chinese (Guangdong) gāmgwāt gold citrus fruit, akin to Chinese jīnjù

Words nearby kumquat

kumiss, kumite, kummer, kummerbund, kumon, kumquat, kun, kuna, kundalini, kundera, kundt tube

Example sentences from the Web for kumquat

  • I love the sweet-tart taste of fresh cranberries, and the combination with kumquat is the perfect pitch.

    Turkey Day Bacchanal |Christopher Idone |November 23, 2009 |DAILY BEAST

  • The Kumquat comes true to seed, and may also be propagated by grafting and budding.

    Fruits of the Hawaiian Islands |Gerrit Parmile Wilder

British Dictionary definitions for kumquat

kumquat

cumquat

/ (ˈkʌmkwɒt) /

noun

any of several small Chinese trees of the rutaceous genus Fortunella
the small round orange fruit of such a tree, with a sweet rind, used in preserves and confections

Word Origin for kumquat

C17: from Chinese (Cantonese) kam kwat, representing Mandarin Chinese chin chü golden orange