Meanings
plural alligator pears
- CaribbeanLouisianaSouthern USdialectalespeciallyAn avocado.
There was a tree just behind which bore alligator pears, and all about were the cocoa-nuts which gave the land its revenue.
1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, “chapter 52”, in The Moon and Sixpence, [New York, N.Y.]: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers […], →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna pear-shaped tropical fruit with green or blackish skin and rich yellowish pulp enclosing a single large seed
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Spanishaguacate
- Englishalligator pear
The "alligator" is likely an alteration of Spanish aguacate, perhaps influenced by the similarity in texture between the skin of the fruit and of an alligator.
More words from Spanish
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
alligator pear. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alligator%20pear
“alligator pear.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alligator%20pear. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “alligator pear,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alligator%20pear.
Source: alligator pear on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.