callas@eris.DEC (The tea leaves never lie) (03/20/85)
The grapefruit is called a grapefruit because it grows in
bunches as grapes do.
Jon
...decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-eris!callas
callas%eris.dec@decwrl (arpa,csnet)gadfly@ihu1m.UUCP (Gadfly) (03/22/85)
-- > The grapefruit is called a grapefruit because it grows in > bunches as grapes do. > > Jon Well, I thought of that (I posted the original query), and I've seen other articles and received mail saying this, but seeing as I spent several months during 1972 picking grapefruit, I know that they do *NOT* grow in bunches. Grapefruit (or is it grape- fruit*S*) grow like oranges--singly, at the ends of the short stalks that held the flowers. The surrounding branches have long (up to an inch) thorns that tear your hands up. Grapefruit don't even appear to grow in bunches--to a kibbutznik, anyway. But etymologists have vivid imaginations. -- *** *** JE MAINTIENDRAI ***** ***** ****** ****** 21 Mar 85 [1 Germinal An CXCIII] ken perlow ***** ***** (312)979-7188 ** ** ** ** ..ihnp4!iwsl8!ken *** ***
msb@lsuc.UUCP (Mark Brader) (03/23/85)
Several people have posted the suggestion that the grapefruit is so called because it grows in bunches. This is supported, though without positive certainty in each case, by the Oxford English Dictionary (supplement, quoting the Westminster Gazette), the Random House Dictionary (unabridged), and Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia (6th ed., entry "citrus"). I would say that that settled the matter, except for one thing. There have also been one or two postings -- and I received a detailed letter -- from people who have personal experience with grapefruit trees, and THEY say that the fruits do NOT grow in bunches. Could this, however, just be the effect of modern agriculture? Perhaps the non-bunching grapefruit is an innovation that has been selected because, say, it makes for larger fruit. I don't know. Any expert comment? (Non-expert comment to /dev/null, I think.) Mark Brader
gmf@uvacs.UUCP (Gordon M. Fisher) (03/24/85)
> -- > > The grapefruit is called a grapefruit because it grows in > > bunches as grapes do. > > > > Jon > > ..... I know > that they do *NOT* grow in bunches. > ken perlow ***** ***** > *The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology* (ed. C.T.Onions) says the English word grape is probably derived from the Old French word grape from graper (gather), which in turn was from grape or grappe (hook) (cf. English grappling, grappling iron or hook). The dictionary then says "Hence grape-fruit (orig. U.S.), shaddock, pomelo." There is no reference to "growing in bunches" or "clustering". Eric Partridge in his *Origins* says Bloch and von Wartburg "suggest that a bunch of grapes was, in OF, named grape because of the shape-resemblance of a bunch to a hook." Partridge continues: "Such compounds as grapefruit and grapevine are self-explanatory," which doesn't seem to be true in the case of grapefruit . > But etymologists have vivid imaginations. So, I think, do lots of people who work in natural language processing. Gordon Fisher ...mcnc!uvacs!gmf