tomatillo
tomatillo Lexical Profile
tomatillo Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A small, round, green or greenish-purple spherical fruit enclosed in a papery, lantern-like husk, produced by a Mexican plant of the nightshade family.
"Before roasting each tomatillo on the griddle, peel away its dry papery husk and rinse off the sticky residue."
The tart, firm flesh of this fruit used as a culinary vegetable in Mexican and Central American cooking, especially as the primary base for green salsas and sauces.
"The chef blended roasted tomatillo with garlic, cilantro, and serrano peppers to make a vibrant salsa verde."
An annual herbaceous plant (Physalis philadelphica or Physalis ixocarpa) of the nightshade family Solanaceae, native to Mexico and Central America and widely cultivated for its edible husked fruit.
"Because the tomatillo is self-incompatible, gardeners must plant at least two specimens close together to ensure pollination and fruit set."
Word Nuance & Usage
Despite its name and appearance, the tomatillo is not an unripe green tomato; it belongs to a different genus in the nightshade family and is distinguished by its papery outer husk and tart, citrus-like flavor.
• Rhymes for tomatillo
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Mexican Spanish tomatillo, a diminutive of tomate ('tomato'), which itself derives from Nahuatl tomatl, originally referring to the plump, husked fruit of the tomatillo plant.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.