Meaning & use
ilama
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Meanings
nouncountablebiology
A small tropical tree from Central America that bears large, rough, pinkish fruits with sweet, creamy white flesh.
Grammar: Countable for the tree: one ilama, several ilamas.
An ilama grows well in the warm, humid lowlands of Mexico.
The botanist planted an ilama beside the greenhouse.
Several ilamas were fruiting in the orchard.
nouncountable or uncountable
The sweet, soft fruit of this tree, eaten fresh and scooped from its skin.
Grammar: Countable for a single fruit, uncountable for the flesh: an ilama, some ilama.
We bought an ilama at the market and ate it with a spoon.
The ilama had a taste somewhere between pear and vanilla custard.
A ripe ilama turns slightly soft when you press it.
Word forms
| plural | ilamas |
|---|
Common combinations
- ripe ilama
- A ripe ilama is soft and fragrant.
- ilama fruit
- Ilama fruit is popular at local markets in Central America.
- ilama tree
- The ilama tree needs warm weather and plenty of sun.
- pink ilama
- The pink ilama has a slightly rosy flesh in some varieties.
- ilama pulp
- Ilama pulp can be blended into a smoothie.
Synonyms and how they differ
- annona
- Annona is the botanical genus name that includes the ilama, so it is broader and more scientific.
- custard apple
- Custard apple is a general name for several related fruits, and ilama is one specific kind.
- sugar apple
- Sugar apple is a close relative that is usually sweeter and more scaly in appearance than the ilama.
Word family
- cherimoya noun
- a related fruit with a creamy texture
- soursop noun
- a related tropical fruit with spiky skin
- annona noun
- the plant genus including these fruits
Commonly confused: ilama or llama?
ilama vs llama
A llama is a South American animal used for wool and carrying loads, while an ilama is a fruit; the two are pronounced differently, with the stress on the second syllable in ilama.
Practice
What is an ilama?
Choose one answer.
Ilama names a Central American fruit tree and its fruit. The woolly animal is spelled llama, which is the most tempting wrong answer.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ilama”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.