[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [Reference works](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference) › [Hobson-Jobson: A Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words and Phrases, and of Kindred Terms, Etymological, Historical, Geographical and Discursive](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference.yule-burnell-1886) › c10.474 # Hobson-Jobson: A Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words and Phrases, and of Kindred Terms, Etymological, Historical, Geographical and Discursive c10.474 Hobson-Jobson: A Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words and Phrases, and of Kindred Terms, Etymological, Historical, Geographical and Discursive c10.474 - **Language:** English ### [c10.474](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference.yule-burnell-1886.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. - [Previous: c10.473](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference.yule-burnell-1886.c10.473) - [Next: c10.475](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference.yule-burnell-1886.c10.475) - [Up: c10](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference.yule-burnell-1886.c10) --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference.yule-burnell-1886.c10.474](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference.yule-burnell-1886.c10.474) · Pramāṇa