carambola

English

Alternative forms

• karambola (rare)

Etymology

Presumably from Marathi करंबळ (karambaḷ), via Portuguese.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌkæɹəmˈbəʊlə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊlə

Noun

carambola (plural carambolas)

1. A tree species native to southern Asia, Averrhoa carambola.
   • 1851, Francis Mason, Tenasserim: Or Notes on the Fauna, Flora, Minerals, and Nations of British Burmah and Pegu: with Systematic Catalogues of the Known Minerals, Plants, Mammals, Fishes, Mollusks, Sea-nettles, Corals, Sea-urchins, Worms, Insects, Crabs, Reptiles, and Birds; with Vernacular Names, American Mission Press, T.S. Ranney, page 121:

     The carambola tree bears a sour fruit which makes a good tart, and there is a variety which bears a sweet fruit. The tree, though originally, it is said, from the Moluccas, flourishes well on this Coast, and is quite naturalized.

2. The fruit of this tree, commonly known as star fruit.

   Synonyms: Chinese gooseberry, star fruit

   • 2022, N. K. Jemisin, The World We Make, Orbit, page 124:

     She leans out of sight before coming back with a bowl of something—looks like sliced fresh carambola with salt and chili.

3. A yellow colour, like that of a carambola.

   carambola:  

Derived terms

• caramboxin

Translations

tree

• Catalan: caramboler (ca) m
• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: karambola (fi)
• Galician: caramboleira (gl) f
• Polish: oskomian pospolity m, karambola (pl) f
• Spanish: carambolo (es) m
• Tamil: தமரத்தை (ta) (tamarattai)
• Ukrainian: карамбо́ла f (karambóla)
• Vietnamese: khế (vi)

fruit — see star fruit

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish carambola, from Malay karambal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [kə.ɾəmˈbo̞.lə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Central) [kə.ɾəmˈbɔ.lə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [ka.ɾamˈbɔ.la]

Noun

carambola f (plural caramboles)

1. star fruit
2. carom

Derived terms

• caramboler

Further reading

• “carambola”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ka.ʁɑ̃.bɔ.la/
• Homophones: carambolas, carambolât

Verb

carambola

1. third-person singular past historic of caramboler

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaˈram.bo.la/
• Rhymes: -ambola
• Hyphenation: ca‧ràm‧bo‧la

Etymology 1

Noun

carambola f (plural carambole)

1. cannon, carom (in snooker etc.)
2. star fruit

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

carambola

1. inflection of carambolare:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Portuguese

carambola

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ka.ɾɐ̃ˈbɔ.lɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ka.ɾɐ̃ˈbɔ.lɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ka.ɾɐ̃ˈbɔ.la/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɐ.ɾɐ̃ˈbɔ.lɐ/

• Rhymes: -ɔlɐ
• Hyphenation: ca‧ram‧bo‧la

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Sanskrit कर्मार (karmā́ra)der.

Marathi करंबळ (karambaḷ)der.

Malay karambalbor.

Portuguese carambola

Borrowed from Malay karambal, from Marathi करंबळ (karambaḷ), ultimately from Sanskrit कर्मार (karmā́ra), कर्मरङ्ग (karmaranga).

Noun

carambola f (plural carambolas)

1. carambola, star fruit (fruit)

Related terms

• caramboleira

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Sanskrit कर्मार (karmā́ra)der.

Marathi करंबळ (karambaḷ)der.

Malay karambalbor.

Portuguese carambolabor.

Spanish carambolabor.

French carambolebor.

Portuguese carambola

Borrowed from French carambole, from Spanish carambola.

Noun

carambola f (plural carambolas)

1. (billiards) (UK) cannon, (USA) carom
2. (billiards) red ball

Related terms

• carambolar

Etymology 3

Alteration of caramba.

Interjection

carambola

1. (minced oath) synonym of caramba (“damn”)

Further reading

• “carambola”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “carambola”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese carambola.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaɾamˈbola/ [ka.ɾãmˈbo.la]
• Rhymes: -ola
• Syllabification: ca‧ram‧bo‧la

Noun

carambola f (plural carambolas)

1. star fruit
2. fluke
3. double whammy; act of killing two birds with one stone
4. (snooker, pool, billiards) cannon
5. (snooker, pool, billiards) three-cushion shot

   Continuaban desocupadas las mesas en redor, los músicos charlaban en el palco, y del salón de billares llegaba el ruido de tacos con que algunos entusiastas aplaudían una carambola complicadísima.

Related terms

• carambolo (tree)

Further reading

• “carambola”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025