avocado

avocado — noun

IPA/ˌævəˈkɑːdəʊ/
KK[ˌævəkˈɑdo]IPA/ˌævəˈkɑːdəʊ/
  • avocadosingular
  • avocadosplural

1. an oval fruit grown in warm countries, with a tough green or almost black outer

1.nounA2
Definition

an oval fruit grown in warm countries, with a tough green or almost black outer layer, one big stone-like seed in the middle, and creamy yellow-green flesh that you eat raw, often in salads or on toast.

Example

Zara cut the avocado in half and lifted out the round brown seed with a spoon.

typical kitchen action: cut + half + remove seed

The cafe near the station sells smashed avocado on toast with a poached egg for breakfast.

common collocation: smashed avocado on toast

Common collocations
  • ripe avocado
  • smashed avocado
  • avocado on toast
  • half an avocado
  • avocado seed
  • slice an avocado
Synonyms
  • alligator pear

    old-fashioned American name, rarely used today; refers to the bumpy dark skin

Usage Note

Often appears with adjectives describing ripeness (ripe, unripe, hard, soft) or preparation (smashed, sliced, mashed). The plural is 'avocados' (with -s, no -es spelling change in modern usage). Sometimes called 'avocado pear' in older British texts, but 'avocado' alone is now standard.

Common Mistakes

I bought two avocadoes from the market.
I bought two avocados from the market.
the standard plural is 'avocados', not 'avocadoes'.
This avocado is not mature yet.
This avocado is not ripe yet.
for fruit that is ready to eat, English uses 'ripe', not 'mature'.

2. a soft, slightly yellowish shade of green, named after the colour of the inside

2.nounB2
Definition

a soft, slightly yellowish shade of green, named after the colour of the inside of the fruit; often used to describe paint, fabrics, kitchen appliances, or bathroom fittings.

Example

Grandma's bathroom from the 1970s was painted in avocado, with matching tiles around the bath.

typical retro context: 1970s home decor

The designer mixed cream and avocado on the living-room walls for a calm, natural feeling.

paint colour pairing: cream + avocado

Common collocations
  • painted in avocado
  • soft avocado
  • pale avocado
  • avocado green
Synonyms
  • sage green

    similar muted green but slightly greyer; common in modern decor

  • olive

    darker and more brown-tinted than avocado

Usage Note

Frequently used in interior-design and fashion contexts to name a specific muted green shade, especially associated with mid-twentieth-century home goods (bathrooms, kitchen appliances). Distinguish from sense 1: this sense describes a colour, not the fruit itself, and takes no plural.

Common Mistakes

The walls are painted in avocados.
The walls are painted in avocado.
when used as a colour name, 'avocado' is uncountable and never takes a plural -s.

avocado — adjective

IPA/ˌæv.əˈkɑː.dəʊ/
KK[ˌævəkˈɑdo]IPA/ˌɑː.vəˈkɑː.doʊ/

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These three words all sit in the same culinary world but operate at different levels. 'Avocado' is the everyday word for the fruit itself — the whole, raw item you buy at the supermarket and slice open. 'Guacamole' is a Mexican-style dip made by mashing ripe avocado with lime, salt, garlic, and often chopped onion or tomato; you eat guacamole, you do not eat 'an guacamole'. 'Alligator pear' is an old-fashioned American name for the avocado, named after its bumpy dark skin; you might still see it in older cookbooks but no modern grocery store labels its bin this way. Compare: 'I had half an avocado on toast' (the fruit), 'I dipped a chip in the guacamole' (the dip), 'My grandmother called them alligator pears' (the dated name).

avocado ↗guacamole ↗alligator pear

Common collocations

Nouns

  • avocado seed
  • avocado skin
  • avocado tree
  • avocado oil
  • avocado toast

Phrases

  • ripe avocado
  • smashed avocado
  • half an avocado
  • slice of avocado

Prepositions

  • avocado on toast
  • avocado with lime

Etymology

NahuatlSpanishEnglish

The English word 'avocado' came in the late 1600s from the Spanish 'aguacate', which the Spanish had borrowed from 'ahuacatl', a word in Nahuatl, the language spoken by the Aztec people of central Mexico. The original Nahuatl word also carried a slang meaning related to the fruit's hanging shape on the tree. English speakers heard 'aguacate' and reshaped it to 'avocado' to sound more like a familiar Spanish word. For a long time it was also called 'alligator pear' in English because of the rough, dark green skin that resembles an alligator's hide.