any giant cactus of Central America and the SW United States, esp the saguaro
2. Also called: dragon fruit
the edible red pulpy fruit of such cacti, which has a mild sweet flavour
Word origin
C18: Mexican Spanish, from Haitian Creole
pitahaya in American English
(ˌpɪtəˈhaiə)
noun
1.
any of several cacti of the genus Lemaireocereus and related genera, of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, bearing edible fruit
2.
the fruit of such a cactus
Also: pitaya
Word origin
[1750–60, Amer.; ‹ AmerSp ‹ Taino]This word is first recorded in the period 1750–60. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: bunker, permeability, railroad, swish, totem