Word of the Day: April 1, 2009 ~ avocado

Avocado (av-uh-kah-doh, ah-vuh) - noun

An avocado is a pear-shaped fruit with dark green, leathery skin; a single large seed, and greenish-yellow pulp that is edible.

The origin of this word seems to trace back to the Aztecs, who called the fruit ahucatl, which was their word for testicle. While it is similarly shaped, it was also believed to be an aphrodisiac.

Avocado meant advocate to the Spanish and it is believed that they thought ahucatl sounded similar. When the fruit was introduced to Europe, through Spain, the name avocado was adopted.

Avocados are sometimes called avocado pears or alligator pears: probably referred to that way because of their leathery, rugged, and thick skin; similar to an alligator.