Dictionary entry

Medlar

Webster's Dictionary 1913

Med″lar (?), n. [OE. medler medlar tree, OF. meslier, F. néflier, L. mespilum, mespilus, Gr. �, �. Cf. Naseberry.] A tree of the genus Mespilus (M. Germanica); also, the fruit of the tree. The fruit is something like a small apple, but has a bony endocarp. When first gathered the flesh is hard and austere, and it is not eaten until it has begun to decay.

Japan medlar(Bot.), the loquat. See Loquat. — Neapolitan medlar(Bot.), a kind of thorn tree (Cratægus Azarolus); also, its fruit.