mangosteen
UK[ˈmæŋɡəstiːn]US[ˈmæŋɡəstiːn]
n
a tropical fruit with a thick reddish-purple rind and sweet white juicy flesh.
n
the slow-growing evergreen tree (genus Garcinia) that bears this fruit.
Etymology
the word 'mangosteen' entered english in the late 16th century from dutch 'mangistan', which itself was adapted from malay 'manggis'. the malay term likely traces back to the tamil 'mangāṟi' or 'mangkāṟi'. the dutch added the suffix '-steen', akin to the english '-stone', possibly due to a perceived resemblance of the fruit's shape or the hardness of its seeds. this journey from southeast asia to europe via colonial trade routes resulted in a word that is phonetically adapted but morphologically opaque in english, representing the fruit as a whole concept.
Analysis
this word is a loanword adopted as a single unit. it does not contain separable morphemes within modern english spelling.
Examples
the creamy, sweet segments of a ripe mangosteen are considered a delicacy.
we bought several mangosteens from the local asian market.
the mangosteen tree requires a humid, tropical climate to thrive.