durian

Where does the word "durian" come from? It comes from Malay duri, and was adopted directly into English (1600s).

Durian’s story begins in Malay: duri meant “thorn.” Thorn, describing the fruit's spiky outer husk. It reached English by 1600s as durian. First recorded in 1588 in Robert Parke's English translation of Mendoza's history of China; it is banned on many Singapore trains and hotels because of its smell. Today, durian means a large tropical fruit with a spiky husk and a famously strong odor.

1. Stage 1 · Malay · 1500s duri "thorn", thorn, describing the fruit's spiky outer husk.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1600s durian "a large spiky tropical fruit with a strong odor", first recorded in 1588 in Robert Parke's English translation of Mendoza's history of China; it is banned on many Singapore trains and hotels because of its smell.