What does nectarine mean?
A nectarine is a sweet, fragrant stone fruit with a smooth, usually brightly colored skin and edible flesh surrounding a central pit. It is botanically classified as a variety of peach, differing from the familiar fuzzy-skinned peach chiefly in its skin texture. Nectarines can be yellow, white, or red and are eaten fresh, sliced into salads, baked in pies and tarts, grilled, or preserved in jams and sauces. The fruit is especially valued for its juicy, aromatic flesh and is a common summer fruit in British and American households. Although “peach” is the closest comparison, the nectarine is not merely another name for that fruit: the smooth skin is its defining characteristic. The name reflects its association with sweetness and nectar.
nounA sweet, juicy stone fruit with a smooth, often reddish or yellow skin, closely related to the peach. It is botanically a variety of peach, distinguished mainly by the absence of the peach's fuzzy skin.
- A juicy stone fruit with smooth skin, eaten fresh or used in salads, desserts, preserves, and cooked dishes.
"She sliced a ripe nectarine over the breakfast cereal."
"The nectarine was exceptionally sweet and juicy."
"She grilled the nectarines with honey and fresh mint."
The standard plural of the fruit name.
"These nectarines are ready to eat."
A nectarine is essentially a peach whose fuzzy skin has been bred away.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does nectarine come from?
The word entered English in the 17th century from French nectarine, originally a diminutive of nectar. Its ultimate source is Latin nectar, which was borrowed from Greek néktar, the divine drink conferring immortality. The name was associated with the fruit's rich sweetness and fragrance; modern botanical usage also connects the word with nectar and nectaries through the same root.
How nectarine is actually used
The word is used in British and American English. In culinary contexts, a nectarine may be treated as a distinct fruit, although botanically it is a smooth-skinned variety of peach.
Easily confused with nectarine
A nectarine and a peach are varieties of the same fruit, but nectarines have smooth skin while peaches have soft, fuzzy skin.