n. & adj.
n. 1 a a juicy soft fruit, smaller than a peach, of an orange-yellow colour. b the tree, Prunus armeniaca, bearing it. 2 the ripe fruit's orange-yellow colour.
adj. orange-yellow (apricot dress).
[ Port. albricoque or Sp. albaricoque f. Arab. al the + barkuk f. late Gk praikokion f. L praecoquum var. of praecox early-ripe: apri- after L apricus ripe, -cot by assim. to F abricot ]