The Collaborative International Dictionary
Breadfruit \Bread"fruit`\, n. (Bot.)
The fruit of a tree ( Artocarpus incisa) found in the islands of the Pacific, esp. the South Sea islands. It is of a roundish form, from four to six or seven inches in diameter, and, when baked, somewhat resembles bread, and is eaten as food, whence the name.
(Bot.) The tree itself, which is one of considerable size, with large, lobed leaves. Cloth is made from the bark, and the timber is used for many purposes. Called also breadfruit tree and bread tree.
WordNet
n. native to Pacific islands and having edible fruit with a texture like bread [syn: breadfruit, Artocarpus communis, Artocarpus altilis]
Usage examples of "breadfruit tree".
The breadfruit tree and the root crops yams and (ordinary) taro may also be New Guinean domesticates, although that conclusion remains uncertain because their wild ancestors are not confined to New Guinea but are distributed from New Guinea to Southeast Asia.
It went like the wind-caught leaf of a breadfruit tree, skimming the waters.
Encircling the thighs were wide bands of conventionalized design, and on his back he had the picture of a breadfruit tree, done with such spirit that one could all but hear the rustle of the wind through its branches.
At length they rose, and, crossing the deeply shaded expanse above, they came to a breadfruit tree which towered above the surrounding forest.
And if Vincent had not sent a pilot, who is hanging in the breadfruit tree?
Norfolk, pointing at Henry Choles, carpenter's crew, 'under a breadfruit tree.
They nearly went wild with delight when they found their first breadfruit tree.
And he saw how the old man's breadfruit tree framed the house to advantage, how elegant the lattice work looked through the bleeding-heart vine, its lack of finish unimportant at this distance.
The breadfruit tree fruited seasonally, and when the season was short, there could be famine.