drupe

views updated Jun 11 2018

drupe / droōp/ • n. Bot. a fleshy fruit with thin skin and a central stone containing the seed, e.g., a plum, cherry, almond, or olive.DERIVATIVES: dru·pa·ceous / droōˈpāshəs/ adj.ORIGIN: mid 18th cent.: from Latin drupa ‘overripe olive,’ from Greek druppa ‘olive.’

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

drupe

views updated May 18 2018

drupe (pyrenocarp) A fleshy fruit that develops from either one or several fused carpels and contains one or many seeds. The seeds are enclosed by the hard protective endocarp (see pericarp) of the fruit. Thus the stone of a peach is the endocarp containing the seed. Plums, cherries, coconuts, and almonds are other examples of one-seeded drupes; holly and elder fruits are examples of many-seeded drupes. See also etaerio.

A Dictionary of Biology

drupe

views updated May 29 2018

drupe A fleshy fruit, such as a plum, containing one or a few seeds, each enclosed in a stony layer that is part of the fruit wall.

A Dictionary of Plant Sciences MICHAEL ALLABY

drupe

views updated May 29 2018

drupe (stone fruit) Any fruit with a thin skin, fleshy pulp and hard stone or pip enclosing a single seed. Examples are plums, cherries, peaches, olives, almonds and coconuts.

World Encyclopedia

drupe

views updated May 21 2018

drupe Botanical term for a fleshy fruit with a single stone enclosing the seed that does not split along defined lines to liberate the seed, e.g. apricot, cherry, date, mango, olive, peach, plum.

A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition DAVID A. BENDER