medlar

English

ripe medlar fruit

Etymology

From Middle English medler, medeler, from Old French medler, meslier, from medle, mesdle (“medlar fruit”), from Latin mespilum, from Ancient Greek μέσπιλον (méspilon). Related to the rare mesple, via Proto-West Germanic *mespilā.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmɛdlə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmɛdlɚ/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈmedlɘ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Homophone: meddler

Noun

medlar (plural medlars)

1. Mespilus germanica, common medlar (now often Crataegus germanica).
2. Any tree of the genus Mespilus, now Crataegus sect. Mespilus, including many species now in other genera.
3. Any of several similar trees that bear similar fruit:
   1. Stern's medlar (Crataegus × canescens: family Rosaceae).
   2. Mediterranean medlar or azarole (Crataegus azarolus: family Rosaceae).
   3. Japanese medlar or loquat (Eriobotrya japonica: family Rosaceae).
   4. Spanish medlar or bulletwood (Mimusops elengi: family Sapotaceae).
   5. African medlar (Vangueria infausta: family Rubiaceae).
   6. Wolfberry, goji, red medlar (Lycium spp.).
4. The fruit of such trees, similar to small apples:
   1. Especially that of Crataegus sect. Mespilus, not eaten until it has begun to decay, or more specifically, to blet.

      Synonym: open-arse

5. (derogatory, intended sexually) A woman or a woman's genitalia (as the fruit's appearance resembles an "open-arse").
   • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     I was once before him for getting a wench with child....but I was fain to forswear it; they would else have married me to the rotten medlar.

Derived terms

• African medlar (Vangueria infausta)
• common medlar (Mespilus germanica)
• Dutch medlar (Mespilus germanica)
• Japan medlar, Japanese medlar (loquat)
• Mediterranean medlar (Crataegus azarolus)
• Neapolitan medlar (Crataegus azarolus)
• red medlar (Lycium spp.)
• Savoy medlar (Amelanchier ovalis)
• Spanish medlar (Mimusops elengi
• Stern's medlar (Crataegus × canescens)
• Welsh medlar (Crataegus azarolus)

Translations

tree Mespilus germanica

• Abkhaz: а-ба́цә (a-bácʷ), а-мушмула (a-muŝmula)
• Albanian: mushmollë (sq) f
• Arabic: مُشْمُلَة f (mušmula), إِسْكِدُنْيَا f (ʔiskidunyā), زُعْرُور m (zuʕrūr), مُصَع m (muṣaʕ)
• Armenian: սգռենի (sgṙeni), զղյարենի (hy) (zġyareni), զկեռենի (hy) (zkeṙeni), զկեռ (hy) (zkeṙ)
• Asturian: cadapanal (ast) m, nesperal (ast) m, niésperu (ast) m
• Azerbaijani: əzgil (az)
• Basque: mizpirondo, mizpira
• Bats: სიმაჲრტყლი̂ (simayrṭq̇lî)
• Bulgarian: мушмула (bg) f (mušmula)
• Catalan: nespler m, nesprer (ca) m
• Chechen: хьамц (ḥʳamc)
• Danish: mispel
• Dutch: mispelboom, mispelaar (nl)
• Esperanto: mespilujo, mespilarbo
• Finnish: mispeli (fi)
• French: néflier (fr) m
• Friulian: gnespolâr
• Galician: nespereira (gl) f
• Georgian: ზღმარტლი (zɣmarṭli)
• German: Mispel (de) f
• Greek:

  Ancient: μέσπιλον n (méspilon)

• Hungarian: naspolya (hu)
• Ingush: хьамиск (ḥʳamisk)
• Irish: meispeal Gearmánach m
• Italian: nespolo (it) m
• Latin: mespilum n
• Laz: ცხიმუნტური (ʒximunťuri)
• Macedonian: мушмула f (mušmula)
• Middle English: medler
• Mingrelian: ცქუმუნტური (ckumunṭuri), ბაცუ (bacu)
• Occitan: nesplièr m, mesplièr m
• Ossetian: мугӕ (mugæ), мантъылы (mant’yly)
• Persian: ازگیل (fa) (azgil)
• Polish: nieszpułka (pl) f
• Portuguese: nespereira (pt) f
• Romanian: moșmon (ro) m, mușmul m
• Russian: мушмула́ (ru) f (mušmulá)
• Serbo-Croatian: мушмула f
• Slovene: nešplja (sl) f
• Spanish: níspero (europeo), níspero (es)
• Svan: ჟუ̄ნტუ (žūnṭu)
• Turkish: muşmula (tr), muşmula ağacı
• Walloon: mesplî (wa) m
• Welsh: merysbren m

any tree of the genus Mespilus

• Finnish: mispeli (fi)

Crataegus × canescens

Crataegus azarolus — see azarole

Eriobotrya japonica — see loquat

Mimusops elengi — see bulletwood

Vangueria infausta

• Finnish: milo (fi)

Lycium spp. — see wolfberry

fruit of Mespilus

• Armenian: զկեռ (hy) (zkeṙ)
• Asturian: cadápanu (ast) m, niésperu (ast) m
• Basque: mizpira
• Breton: mesper (br)
• Bulgarian: мушмула (bg) f (mušmula)
• Catalan: nespra (ca) f, nespla (ca) f
• Dutch: mispel (nl)
• Esperanto: mespilo, mespilbero
• Finnish: mispeli (fi)
• French: nèfle (fr) f
• Friulian: gnespul
• Galician: néspera (gl) f
• German: Mispel (de) f
• Greek: μούσμουλο (el) n (moúsmoulo)
• Hungarian: naspolya (hu)
• Italian: nespola (it) f
• Latin: mespilum n
• Macedonian: мушмула f (mušmula)
• Mazanderani: کندس (kendes) (Sari), کنس (kenes) (Babol), کنس (kones) (Tonekabon)
• Middle English: medle, open-ers, medler
• Occitan: nespla
• Old English: openears m
• Persian: ازگیل (fa) (azgil), کندس (kondos) (Gorgan), کوژ (fa) (kewž)
• Polish: nieszpułka (pl) f
• Portuguese: nêspera (pt) f
• Romanian: moșmoană (ro) f, mușmulă f
• Russian: мушмула́ (ru) f (mušmulá)
• Serbo-Croatian: мушмула f
• Slovene: nešplja (sl) f
• Spanish: níspero (es)
• Turkish: muşmula (tr)
• Walloon: messe (wa) f
• Welsh: afal tinagored m

woman's genitalia (only fruit-related translations here, please) — see also cunt

• Finnish: aprikoosi (fi)

References

• “medlar”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “medlar”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• Mespilus on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Mespilus on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Mespilus at Plants of the World Online
• Crataegus at Plants of the World Online
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “medlar”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

• Del Mar, Delmar, dermal, mardle, marled, merlad

Middle English

Noun

medlar

1. Alternative form of medler

Swedish

Verb

medlar

1. present indicative of medla

Anagrams

• armled