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can·is·tel (kănĭ-stĕl′)
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n.
1. An evergreen tree (Pouteria campechiana) native to Mexico and Central America, bearing fruit having sweet, deep-yellow flesh with the texture of hard-boiled egg yolk.
2. The fruit of this tree. In both senses also called eggfruit.
[Cuban and Central American Spanish, from a Mayan source such as Yucatec Maya k'aniste', canistel, probably literally, “tree bearing yellow fruit like sweet potatoes” : k'an, yellow + iis, sweet potato (in reference to the taste and texture of canistel fruit) + te', tree.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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