avocado

avocado , tropical American broad-leaved evergreen tree of the genus Persea of the family Lauraceae ( laurel family). The fruit, called avocado, alligator pear, or, in Spanish, aguacate, has a high oil content. It is eaten fresh, chiefly in salads and guacamole. The avocado was cultivated by the Aztecs. Avocados are classified in the division Magnoliophyta , class Magnoliopsida, order Magnoliales, family Lauraceae.

avocado XVII (avogato). — Sp. avocado advocate substituted for Aztec ahuacatl, more closely repr. by Sp. aguacate; further corrupted, through avigato, to alligator (pear) XVIII.

avocado Fruit of the tree Persica americana, also known as the avocado pear or alligator pear, because of its rough skin and pear shape, although it is not related to the pear. It is unusual among fruits for its high fat content (17–27%), of which 7–14% is linoleic acid, and also for the fact that it does not ripen until after it has been removed from the tree.

Half an avocado (130 g) is a rich source of vitamin C and copper; a good source of vitamin B₆; a source of protein and iron; contains 26 g of fat, of which 20% is saturated; provides 2.6 g of dietary fibre; supplies 265 kcal (1110 kJ).