Meaning & use
chayote
Last updated
UK/tʃeɪˈəʊteɪ/
US/tʃeɪˈoʊteɪ/
Meaning
nouncountable or uncountable
A light green, bumpy, pear-shaped squash with a mild flavor, eaten as a vegetable.
Grammar: Use 'a chayote' for one, or 'chayote' as an uncountable mass when talking about the food in general.
Patterns
- a chayote
- chayote (as food)
- cook chayote
She added diced chayote to the soup.
The market sells fresh chayote every Saturday.
Chayote is often cooked like zucchini.
Word forms
| plural | chayotes |
|---|
Common combinations
- chayote squash
- Chayote squash has a crisp texture when raw.
- stuffed chayote
- My grandmother makes stuffed chayote with cheese.
- grow chayote
- They grow chayote on a trellis in the garden.
- peel a chayote
- You should peel a chayote before cooking it.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mirliton
- Used mainly in Louisiana and some Caribbean communities for the same vegetable.
- choko
- The common name in Australia and New Zealand; use it there to be understood.
- christophene
- The usual name in parts of the Caribbean and French-speaking islands.
- vegetable pear
- A descriptive English name, less common but clear in meaning.
Word family
- chayote noun
- The plant itself, a climbing vine that produces the squash.
Commonly confused: chayote or chayote?
chayote vs chayote
Not to be confused with 'coyote', a wild dog-like animal of North America.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'chayote' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Chayote' is a noun for a vegetable, so it fits in 'bought a chayote'. The others use it as a verb or in nonsense contexts.
Make it your own
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