love apple
Definition
- Noun:
- A type of fruit; specifically, the tomato: The term "love apple" is an old-fashioned or historical name for the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). It refers to the edible, often red fruit of this plant.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- In the 18th century, many Europeans called the tomato a love apple and believed it had aphrodisiac properties.
- The recipe, written in 1820, lists "two love apples, finely chopped" as an ingredient.
Advanced Usage
- The term is primarily used in historical, literary, or poetic contexts. In modern everyday English, "tomato" is the standard term.
- It can be used to evoke a sense of the past or to add a quaint, charming quality to writing or speech about food history.
Variants and Related Words
- Tomato (n): The common modern word for the same fruit.
- Solanum lycopersicum (n): The botanical Latin name for the tomato plant.
Synonyms
- Tomato
Notes on Different Meanings
- "Love apple" has only one specific meaning: an archaic term for the tomato. It is not used to refer to any other fruit or object in modern English. The "love" in the name stems from historical folk beliefs about the fruit's properties, not from its taste or appearance.
Noun
-
native to South America; widely cultivated in many varieties
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