Alligator Pear
Preserved but no longer current.
The name given to the fruit of the West Indian tree, Persea gratis- sima. It is a corruption either of the Carib aouacate, called by the Spanish discoverers avocado or avigato, or of the Aztec abuacath, which was transmitted through the Fr. avocat and Sp. aguacate. In any case the fruit has nothing to do with the reptile.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Alligator Pear” mean?
The name given to the fruit of the West Indian tree, Persea gratis- sima. It is a corruption either of the Carib aouacate, called by the Spanish discoverers avocado or avigato, or of the Aztec abuacath, which was transmitted through the Fr. avocat and Sp. aguacate. In any case the fruit has nothing to do with the reptile.
Is “Alligator Pear” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.