A'pri-cōt, n.

n. [O. Eng. apricock, O. Eng. & Fr. abricot, Sp. albaricoque, albarcoque, albercoque, alvarcoque, It. albercocci, albicocca, Ger. apricose, Ar. al-birqūq, and al-burqūq. Though the Eng. and Fr. form abricot is derived from the Ar. through the Sp., yet the Ar. word itself was formed from the Lat. præcoquus or præcox, early ripe, as peaches and apricots were occasionally called (Diosc. 1, 165) πραικόκια. Through Dioscorides the word was probably introduced into Arabic; for his work was early translated into that language, and used as a text-book, from which the Arabs learned medicine and botany. (Bot.) The fruit of the Prunus Armeniaca of Linnaeus, allied to the plum, and of an oval figure and delicious taste.