medlar

The story

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromμέσπιλον
2. Latin · derived frommespilum
3. Old French · derived frommedler
4. Middle English · inherited frommedler
5. English todaymedlar

From Middle English medler, medeler, from Old French medler, meslier, from medle, mesdle (“medlar fruit”), from Latin mespilum, from Ancient Greek μέσπιλον (méspilon). Related to the rare mesple, via Proto-West Germanic *mespilā. Displaced Old English openærs (“open-arse”) (and similar names, from anatomical comparison).

Words from the same roots