Word
Definition
n. a large, round fruit that is similar to an orange but has a sour and slightly bitter taste. It usually has yellow skin and the inside can be yellow, pink, or red.
n. a large, globose citrus fruit with a bitter, acidic flavour profile. Refers to the fruit of the tree Citrus × paradisi, which is a hybrid of the pomelo and the sweet orange.
Examples
“I usually eat half a grapefruit for breakfast.”
“The chef added segments of pink grapefruit to the salad to balance the richness of the avocado.”
“While grapefruit is a popular source of vitamin C, certain compounds within the fruit can interfere with the metabolism of specific medications by inhibiting intestinal enzymes.”
Examples
simple
“I usually eat half a grapefruit for breakfast.”
contextual
“The chef added segments of pink grapefruit to the salad to balance the richness of the avocado.”
complex
“While grapefruit is a popular source of vitamin C, certain compounds within the fruit can interfere with the metabolism of specific medications by inhibiting intestinal enzymes.”
Usage
Uncountable when referring to the fruit as a food category or flavour; countable when referring to the individual fruits.
Etymology
Widely assumed to be a marketing term from grape + fruit, an allusion to the supposed grapelike clusters of fruit on the tree, early 19th c. Ciardi proposes another theory: one of the pomelo's botanical names is Citrus grandis, meaning "great citrus [fruit]", due to the size of its fruit. A new pomelo variety might first have been called a "greatfruit" (see greatfruit), and through the process of assimilation, the word came to be pronounced "grapefruit".
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/grapefruit
「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0