murungan.
/mᵿˈrʊŋɡə/, U.S. /məˈrʊŋɡə/ In Sri Lanka: the horseradish tree, Moringa oleifera. Also: the fruit of this tree, the ben nut.
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the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > plant, nut, or bean yielding oil > [noun] > trees or shrubs yielding oil > tropical > ben-nut > ben-nut tree
murunga1681
Moringa1693
horseradish tree1859
1681 R. Knox Hist. Ceylon I. vi. 19 They have several other sorts of fruits which they dress and eat with their rice..called Carowela, Wattacul, Morongo, Cacorebouns, &c.
1797 Encycl. Brit. VIII. 176/2 The moringa, or morunga nickar, is a native of the island of Ceylon, and some places on the Malabar coast.
1817 A. Bertolacci View of Agric., Commerc. & Financial Interests Ceylon (1983) II. 89 The toddy vinegar improves by being kept a long time, and by a small quantity of the bark of the Moronga-tree being infused into it.
1821 tr. J. Haafner Trav. on Foot through Island of Ceylon viii. 67 We also found..several Moronga-trees. This tree has an uncommonly rough bark, and a blue dye stuff is extracted from the wood. The fruit..is eaten boiled like vegetables.
1892 M. North Recoll. Happy Life I. 102 I saw the two marenga-trees, from the berries of which the oil of Ben used by watch-makers is pressed.
1926 F. Lewis Sixty-four Years in Ceylon (1993) xxxii. 421 Some wretched Murungas (Moringa pterygosperma) looked on as if uncomfortable at being found in such circumstances.
1997 A. Sivanandan When Memory Dies iii. xii. 347 ‘Superbly cooked, I must say,’ observed Vijay, working through his fourth crab-belly. ‘The murunga leaves make all the difference.’
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, March 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1681