apricocious

Albaricoque is the Spanish word for apricot. When a Spanish word starts with 'al', you can guess it comes from Arabic (like alcázar, albóndiga, alfombra). Which, if you're me, means it requires further research.

This is a fun one. The word comes from the Arabic word for plum, al-barquq. It means "early-ripening fruit", and can be traced back to the Latin word praecox. From here, we step forward to our own English word precocious, said of a child who has ripened, or matured, early. I'm really excited: apricot to precocious? Wowee!

Some other things about apricot words:

- Weird that these days the Arabic is totally different. The word for apricot in Arabic, as well as in Hebrew, is mishmish. How can you not adore a fruit called mishmish!? Oh little precocious mishmish, can I pinch your little rosy cheeks before I eat you?
- Weird that the Persian is also totally different. In Persian, it's zardaloo. Zard is yellow, aloo is plum.
- Weird that in Hindi, aloo is not plum, but potato.


guys it's hot. really hot. i think i'm melting.