pawpaw

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See also: paw-paw

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Asimina triloba fruit

Via Portuguese and Spanish papaya (which is botanically unrelated) from Kari'na kapaja; the reason for the change in spelling is unknown.

Via Yuchi pahpah

Alternative forms

Noun

pawpaw (plural pawpaws)

  1. Any of several types of trees having edible fruit:
    1. Asimina, a genus of trees and shrubs native to eastern North America, especially common pawpaw (Asimina triloba).
    2. Papaya (Carica papaya), a widely cultivated tropical fruit tree.
    3. Mountain pawpaw (Vasconcellea pubescens), a fruit tree native to South America.
  2. The fruit of these trees.
    Synonyms: bandango, custard apple, hillbilly mango, prairie banana
  • 2021, Leone Ross, This One Sky Day, Faber & Faber Limited, page 254:
    Xavier sliced the pawpaw in half, emptying the tiny black seeds over the veranda wall.
  • 2023 September 29, Molly Fitzpatrick, “He’s the Pawpaw King of Brooklyn. (What’s a Pawpaw?)”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:
    If there were such a thing as an anticapitalist fruit, the pawpaw, commonly foraged in the wild and inherently resistant to commodification, might qualify.
    • Translations
    Further reading

    Etymology 2

    Related to papa, or pa(w) pa(w) (one’s father’s father).

    Alternative forms

    Noun

    pawpaw (plural pawpaws)

    1. (dialectal or colloquial) Grandfather.
    Usage notes
    • Often used as a term of address and hence capitalized, as Pawpaw or PawPaw (or in other spellings, e.g. Paw Paw).
    Synonyms

    See also

    Tagalog

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /pawˈpaw/,
    • Hyphenation: paw‧paw

    Adjective

    pawpáw (Baybayin spelling ᜉᜏ᜔ᜉᜏ᜔)

    1. level to the brim; smooth on top
      Synonym: pantay-labi

    Further reading

    • “pawpaw”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
    Wikious
    Boobota
    Sagapedia