Meanings
nounroad apple (plural road apples)
plural road apples
- datedin pluraloftenslangHorse manure, especially when deposited on a road.
Samples 7–12 contained coarsely chewed plant material; several closely resembled the "road apples" of horse and burro.
1964, P. S. Martin, F. W. Sharrock, “Pollen Analysis of Prehistoric Human Feces: A New Approach to Ethnobotany”, in American Antiquity, volume 30, number 2, page 171Synonyms: street apple
Synonyms & antonyms
nounHorse manure, especially when deposited on a road.
Similar
Also see
Origin
Probably with reference to the supposed similarity to rotten apples.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Czech koňská kobliha
- koňská kobliharoad apple
Dutch paardenvijg
- paardenvijgroad apple
German Pferdeapfel
- Pferdeapfelroad apple
Cite this entry
APA
road apple. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/road%20apple
MLA
“road apple.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/road%20apple. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “road apple,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/road%20apple.
Source: road apple on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.