Meanings
plural pitangas
- A Eugenia uniflora tree or its fruit.
The first maggots were found in pitangas (Brazilian cherries) on the third day after our arrival, but the quantity was of no value, and it was impossible to say whether they were parisitized.
1905, Natal Agriculture Journal, page 4451 more example
Immature pitangas have a disagreeable resinous taste. […] The Surinam cherry is essentially a dessert fruit. The fresh fruits are eaten out of hand or made into jellies, jams, sherbert, sauce and beverages.
1960, Ann M. Perry, Dooryard Supermarket in the Tropics & Subtropics: Its Development and Instructions for Fabrication and Use of Its ProductsSynonyms: Brazilian cherry, Cayenne cherry, pitangueira, Surinam cherry, Suriname cherry
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA Eugenia uniflora tree or its fruit.
More synonyms by meaning
nounBrazilian tree with spicy red fruit; often cultivated in California and Florida
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Tupi'ybapytanga
- Brazilian Portuguesepitanga
- Englishpitanga
Borrowed from Brazilian Portuguese pitanga, from Old Tupi 'ybapytanga.
More words from Brazilian Portuguese, Old Tupi
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
pitanga. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pitanga
“pitanga.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pitanga. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pitanga,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pitanga.
Source: pitanga on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.