how to say “grapefruit” in Hebrew
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/אשכולית-#.m4a” /]אֶשְׁכּוֹלִית
A grapefruit looks, tastes and smells more like an orange or a pomelo (it’s actually a cross between the two). So why does its name associate it with the grape, of all fruits?
Hebrew’s word for the grapefruit sheds some light: אשכולית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/אשכולית-#.m4a” /], derived from the word אשכול[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/אשכולית-#.m4a” /] meaning bunch (as in a bunch of grapes). Hebrew calls it אשכולית because some varieties of the grapefruit grow in bunches like grapes do.
Israelis like the אשכולית best in liquid form: מיץ אשכוליות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/אשכולית-#.m4a” /] – grapefruit(s) juice.
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/אשכולית-#.m4a” /]הוא אוהב מיץ אשכוליות ולא לימונדה.
He likes grapefruit juice, not lemonade.