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Lucuma

3 stages from Quechua to English.

Today it means a sweet, dense-fleshed Andean fruit prized for flavoring ice cream and desserts, especially in Peru

Where does the word "lucuma" come from? It comes from Quechua rucma, passing through Spanish before entering English (1900s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
rucma
Quechua · pre-1500s
"an Andean fruit with sweet, dense flesh"
named the sweet, egg-yolk colored Andean fruit
2
Stage 2 of 3
lúcuma
Spanish · 1600s
"a sweet Andean fruit used in desserts"
adopted by Spanish colonists in Peru for the same fruit
3
Stage 3 of 3
lucuma
English · 1900s
"a sweet, dense Andean fruit used to flavor ice cream and desserts"
borrowed into English through Peruvian cuisine and, more recently, the health-food market
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