apple of Sodom

apple of Sod·​om

-ˈsädəm

1

a

: a fruit described by ancient writers as externally of fair appearance but dissolving into smoke and ashes when plucked

called also Dead Sea apple

b

: an empty mockery

had seen the fruits of victory turn into apples of Sodom

—R. M. Lovett

2

a

: the small yellow tomatolike fruit of a prickly shrub (Solanum sodomeum)

b

: a spiny herb (Solanum carolinense) that bears yellow and orange berries

Word History

Etymology

from Sodom, biblical city destroyed by God (Genesis 10)

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