Hobson-Jobson: A Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words and Phrases, and of Kindred Terms, Etymological, Historical, Geographical and Discursive c10.474

c10.474

**APRICOT**, s. *Prunus Armeniaca*, L. This English word is of curious origin, as Dozy expounds it. The Romans called it *Malum Armeniacum*, and also (*Persicum*?) *praecox*, or ‘early.’ Of this the Greeks made πραικόκκιον, &c., and the Arab conquerors of Byzantine provinces took this up as *birkōk* and *barkōk*, with the article *al-barkōk*, whence Sp. *albarcoque*, Port. *albrigoque*, *alboquerque*, Ital. *albercocca*, *albicocca*, Prov. *aubricot*, *ambricot*, Fr. *abricot*, Dutch *abricock*, *abrikoos*, Eng. *apricock*, *apricot*. Dozy mentions that Dodonaeus, an old Dutch writer on plants, gives the vernacular name as *Vroege Persen*, ‘Early Peaches,’ which illustrates the origin. In the Cyprus bazars, apricots are sold as χρυσόμηλα; but the less poetical name of ‘kill-johns’ is given by sailors to the small hard kinds common to St. Helena, the Cape, China, &c. *Zard ālū* [aloo] (Pers.) ‘yellow-plum’ is the common name in India.