What does mangos mean?
Mangos is a plural noun for mangoes, the fruits of the mango tree, Mangifera indica. A mango is a large, oval fruit with a thin skin, juicy sweet flesh, and a single flat central stone. The skin ripens from green to shades of yellow, orange and red, and the flesh is eaten fresh, dried, juiced, pickled or blended into drinks and desserts. The tree is native to South Asia and is now grown across the tropics, which makes mangos one of the most widely eaten fruits in the world. Dictionaries list both mangos and mangoes as correct plurals, with mangoes usually given first. The word is plain and neutral in tone, and it appears in cooking, farming, trade and everyday conversation. It is a useful word to know because it names a major food crop and because its spelling variation is a common question for writers.
nounThe plural of mango: the sweet, fleshy, stone-fruited tropical fruits of the tree Mangifera indica, usually yellow, orange or red when ripe. Mangos is an accepted variant spelling of the plural mangoes.
- The plural of mango, the tropical fruit.
- Plural of mango, the tree that bears the fruit, used in reference to several trees.
"We ended the meal with chilled mangos, sliced thin and dusted with lime."
"The market stall was piled high with mangos in every shade from green to deep orange."
"Because mangos bruise easily, the exporters pack each one in its own foam sleeve."
Mango has two accepted plurals, mangos and mangoes. Mangoes is usually listed first, but mangos is also standard.
"She bought six mangos and gave half of them to her neighbour."
English took the word mango from Portuguese traders, who took it from a South Indian language, so a fruit name carries the trace of an early sea route.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of mangos
English mango comes from Portuguese manga, which Portuguese traders took from a Dravidian source in South India; Malayalam and Tamil forms are usually cited. The word entered English in the late 16th century. The tree's botanical genus, Mangifera, is built from mango and the Latin root meaning to bear.
Related word forms
How mangos is actually used
Both mangos and mangoes are accepted plurals, and mangoes is generally listed first in dictionaries, though mangos is common in everyday and commercial writing. The word is neutral in register and fits both casual and formal contexts.
Easily confused with mangos
Mange is a skin disease of animals caused by mites, while mangos are the fruits of the mango tree.