MEDLAR

medlar. Medlar, n. the name of a tree or its fruit

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Med″lar (?), n. [[OE. medler medlar tree, OF. meslier, F. néflier, L. mespilum, mespilus, Gr. �, �. Cf. Naseberry.]] A tree of the genus Mespilus (M. Germanica); also, the fruit of the tree. The fruit is something like a small apple, but has a bony endocarp. When first gathered the flesh is hard and austere, and it is not eaten until it has begun to decay. Japan medlar (Bot.), the loquat. See Loquat. — Neapolitan medlar (Bot.), a kind of thorn tree (Cratægus Azarolus); also, its fruit.