Apricot Definition

Origin of Apricot

• Alteration (under the influence of French abricot) of apricock, itself an alteration (under influence of Latin apricum (“sunny place”)) of abrecock, from dialectal Catalan abrecoc, abercoc, variant of standard albercoc, from Arabic البرقوق (al-barqūq, “plums”), from Byzantine Greek βερικοκκία (berikokkia) (pl.), from Ancient Greek πραικὄκιον (praikokion), from Late Latin (persica) præcocia (pl.), (mālum) præcoquum, neuter of Latin (persicum) præcox, literally 'over-ripe peach'.

  From Wiktionary

• Alteration of earlier abrecock ultimately from Arabic al-barqūq the plum al- the barqūq plum (from Greek praikokion apricot) (from Latin praecoquus ripe early) (prae- pre-) (coquere to cook, ripen pekw- in Indo-European roots)

  From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition