breadfruit

noun

bread·​fruit ˈbred-ˌfrüt How to pronounce breadfruit (audio)
plural breadfruits also breadfruit
: a round starchy usually seedless fruit that resembles bread in color and texture when baked
also : a tall tropical evergreen tree (Artocarpus altilis) of the mulberry family that bears this fruit see also mexican breadfruit

Illustration of breadfruit

Illustration of breadfruit

Examples of breadfruit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The plantations originally grew only coffee, but farmers—many of them now Native Hawaiians—have recently started to restore native biodiversity, growing coffee among lush undergrowth in the shade of massive native fruit trees, including ‘Ulu or breadfruit. Bysandeep Ravindran, science.org, 24 Oct. 2024 During a period known as the Cretaceous Thermal Maximum, for instance, around ninety million years ago, breadfruit trees grew on Greenland, and a rain forest thrived on Antarctica. Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024 So Mike designed a solar dehydrator to dry breadfruit, which can then be ground into flour. Richard Schiffman, WIRED, 11 Sep. 2024 Jackfruit Jackfruit, related to breadfruit, grows in many tropical regions, including South Florida and Hawaii. Johna Burdeos, Health, 6 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for breadfruit 

Word History

First Known Use

1697, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of breadfruit was in 1697

Dictionary Entries Near breadfruit

Cite this Entry

“Breadfruit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breadfruit. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

breadfruit

noun
bread·​fruit -ˌfrüt How to pronounce breadfruit (audio)
: a round usually seedless fruit that resembles bread in color and texture when baked
also : a tall tropical tree that is related to the mulberries and bears this fruit

More from Merriam-Webster on breadfruit

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