rambutan

[ ram-boot-n ]
/ ræmˈbut n /

noun

the bright-red oval fruit of a Malayan, sapindaceous tree, Nephelium lappaceum, covered with soft spines, or hairs, and having a subacid taste.
the tree itself.

Origin of rambutan

1700–10; < Malay, equivalent to rambut hair + -an nominalizing suffix

Words nearby rambutan

rambling, rambo, ramboesque, rambouillet, rambunctious, rambutan, ramc, rameau, ramekin, ramen, ramentaceous

Example sentences from the Web for rambutan

  • Among the fruits which we have tasted for the first time the mangosteen and the rambutan are rivals in popularity.

    The Old World and Its Ways |William Jennings Bryan

  • The rambutan has not received as much praise as the mangosteen, but I am not sure but that it is superior for continuous use.

    The Old World and Its Ways |William Jennings Bryan

  • The pulp of the rambutan resembles a pigeon's egg in size and shape and contains a single seed.

    The Old World and Its Ways |William Jennings Bryan

  • Then there was the rambutan—a globular fruit, an inch and a half in diameter.

    In the Eastern Seas |W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for rambutan

rambutan
/ (ræmˈbuːtən) /

noun

a sapindaceous tree, Nephelium lappaceum, native to SE Asia, that has bright red edible fruit
the fruit of this tree

Word Origin for rambutan

C18: from Malay, from rambut hair