medlar
[ med-ler ]
/ ˈmɛd lər /
noun
a small tree, Mespilus germanica, of the rose family, the fruit of which resembles a crab apple and is not edible until the early stages of decay.
any of certain related trees.
the fruit of any of these trees.
Origin of medlar
1325–75; Middle English
medler < Anglo-French, equivalent to
medle (Old French
mesle the fruit < Latin
mespilum < Greek
méspilon) +
-er
-er2
Words nearby medlar
medium-sized,
mediumistic,
mediums,
medius,
medivac,
medlar,
medlars,
medley,
medley relay,
medline,
medon
Example sentences from the Web for medlars
British Dictionary definitions for medlars
medlar
/ (ˈmɛdlə) /
noun
a small Eurasian rosaceous tree, Mespilus germanica
the fruit of this tree, which resembles the crab apple and is not edible until it has begun to decay
any of several other rosaceous trees or their fruits
Word Origin for medlar
C14: from Old French
medlier, from Latin
mespilum medlar fruit, from Greek
mespilon
Medical definitions for medlars
MEDLARS
abbr.
Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (computerized index system of the US National Library of Medicine)