dragon fruit

Questions

How do you pronounce dragon fruit?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˈdɹæɡ.ən ˌfɹuːt/.

What does dragon fruit mean?

The fruit of certain cacti of the genus (Stenocereus (syn. Hylocereus) spp.), cultivated in Southeast Asia and Central and South America, having cerise-pink- or yellow-coloured skin and a white or pink sweet fleshy interior with black seeds.

Where does dragon fruit come from?

From dragon + fruit; most likely a calque or literal translation of a term in a Southeast Asian language (compare Chinese 火龍果 /火龙果 (huǒlóngguǒ, literally “fiery dragon fruit”). Initial English texts cite Vietnamese thanh long; however, this was constructed differently, being a Sino-Vietnamese term for "Azure Dragon" (青龍) re-used to reference the green, "unripe" color of the fruit. First attributed in 1963.

How to pronounce dragon fruit

1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “dragon fruit”.
2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈdɹæɡ.ən ˌfɹuːt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “dragon fruit”.
4. Repeat and practice — Say “dragon fruit” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.