# papaya

Pronunciation: US say "puh-PY-uh" /pəˈpaɪə/; UK

## Noun

1. The large, yellow, edible fruit produced by the tropical tree Carica papaya, with a central cluster of small seeds.
   - Simple: A large tropical fruit with sweet, soft flesh and many small seeds inside.
   - _A ripe papaya gives slightly when you press it near the stem._
   - _The market stall was piled high with mangoes and papayas._
2. An evergreen tree, Carica papaya, native to tropical America, whose large yellow fruit can be eaten.
   - Simple: A tropical tree that grows large, sweet, yellow fruit.
   - _A young papaya can begin fruiting within a year of planting._
   - _Farmers grow papayas across much of tropical Central America._
3. An orange color resembling that of the flesh of a ripe papaya.
   - Simple: A warm orange color, like the flesh of a ripe papaya.
   - _The designer chose papaya for the accent cushions._
   - _Their team jerseys came in a vivid papaya with white trim._

## Origin

Borrowed from Spanish papaya, which in turn comes from Lokono papáia. It is possibly a doublet of pawpaw.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/papaya (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).