capulin

noun

ca·​pu·​lin

¦käpə¦lēn

variants or less commonly capuli

-lē

or capolin

-pə¦lēn

plural -s

1

: a Mexican tree (Prunus capuli) that is sometimes considered to be a form of black cherry (P. serotina) and that yields a sap used in native remedies and has edible cherries of which the kernels of the pits furnish a flour

2

: a tropical American tree (Trema micrantha) the bark of which yields a strong fiber

3

: a ground cherry (Physalis pubescens)

4

: a Mexican timber tree (Condalia obovata) whose hard wood furnishes a blue dye

5

: calabur tree

Word History

Etymology

American Spanish capulín, capulí, from Nahuatl capulin

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