shaddock
English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
A clipping of earlier shaddock-tree. Popularly claimed to be from a "Captain Shaddock" of the British East India Company who introduced its seeds to Barbados from Southeast Asia. However, there are various historical problems concerning this lore, mainly pertaining to records of the purported seaman's surname; for one thorough review see this article by Shattocke Family history here. Compare etymology of shrapnel, veritably also from a British officer's surname.
The surname itself is of Old English origin; probably from or related to Chaddock at Lancashire, an estate in the township of Tyldesley, in the parish of Leigh (see Chaddock Hall). The second particle may be descended from the diminutive suffix -ock, but it is more likely ultimately cognate with English oak. However, Shaddock is an attested old variant of the name Chadwick and it may simply be from that.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
shaddock (plural shaddocks)
- Synonym of pomelo, in all its senses including (inexact) grapefruit.
- 2010, Andrea Levy, The Long Song, Tinder Press (2017), page 302:
- Elizabeth Millar had five acres under shaddocks, callaloo, peppers and calabash.
Derived terms[edit]
- shaddock-tree (dated); shaddock orange (dated); shaddock-bower; shaddock-frail; shaddock-stock
Descendants[edit]
References[edit]
- "shaddock, n.", in the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press.