Etymology

cantaloupe

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Today it means: Cantalupensis Group sensu stricto, with non- or slightly netted rind, also known as true cantaloupe or European cantaloupe, found in the Middle East and Europe. Full definition →

First used 1739.French cantaloup ← Italian Cantalupo
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The story

  1. Italian · derived fromcanto
  2. Italian · derived fromCantalupo
  3. French · derived fromcantaloup
  4. English todaycantaloupe

From French cantaloup, from Italian Cantalupo (a place name), from Italian canto + lupo, literally "howl of the wolf". Named after Cantalupo in Sabina, a former Papal summer estate near Rome, where the melons were first grown after being introduced to Europe.

Words from the same roots

Italiancanto all →

canto

First known use, by meaning

  • From 1739. Cantalupensis Group sensu stricto, with non- or slightly netted rind, also known as true cantaloupe or European cantaloupe, found in the Middle East and Europe.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.