moepeln.
/ˈmʊp(ə)l/, U.S. /ˈmʊp(ə)l/, South African English /ˈmʊp(ə)l/ South African.
Any of the evergreen trees of the genus Mimusops (family Sapotaceae), esp. M. zeyheri. Also: the edible fruit of any of these trees.
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the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > non-British trees or shrubs > African trees or shrubs > [noun] > evergreens
kamassi1793
Mimusops1836
silk-bark1851
wild chestnut1854
mohonono1857
kippersol1893
Cape chestnut1912
sausage-tree1915
moepel1934
1850 R. G. G. Cumming Hunter's Life (1911) 443 A delicious African fruit called moopooroo..was now ripe... The tree has a very dark green leaf; the fruit is about the size and shape of a large olive, and when ripe is a bright orange colour.]
1934 C. P. Swart Suppl. C. Pettman's Gloss. S. Afr. Colloq. Words (M. A. thesis, Univ. of S. Afr.) 118 Moepel.., the red milkwood tree, Mimusops Zeyheri, is so designated in the Transvaal.
1947 H. C. Bosman Mafeking Road x. 57 Martha was also pretty. More pretty than the veld-trees that bore those yellow moepels.
1976 S. Afr. Panorama May 24 Made from wild fruits—including marulas, moepels... In fact mampoer is distilled from any fruit or vegetable which ferments.
1990 Conserva 5 21 My brother and I became acquainted with all the Bushveld fruit-trees–maroela, crossberry, moepel and stamvrug.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2002; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1934