- apple of sodom
- \\-ˈsädəm\
Usage: usually capitalized SEtymology: from Sodom, biblical city destroyed by God (Gen 10)1.a. : a fruit described by ancient writers as externally of fair appearance but dissolving into smoke and ashes when plucked — called also Dead Sea appleb. : an empty mockery
had seen the fruits of victory turn into apples of Sodom — R.M.Lovett
2.a. : the small yellow tomatolike fruit of a prickly shrub (Solanum sodomeum)b. : a spiny herb (Solanum carolinense) that bears yellow and orange berries* * *
apple of Sodom or Dead Sea apple noun1. A fruit described by the ancients as fair to look upon but turning to ashes when touched, variously thought to be a gall, or the fruit of an asclepiad Calotropis procera2. By botanists applied to the poisonous green-pulped fruit of Solanum sodomaeum3. Any fair but disappointing thing• • •Main Entry: ↑apple————————apple of Sodom see under ↑apple• • •Main Entry: ↑Sodom* * *
apple of Sodom,1. something that appears to be very desirable or attractive but turns out to be wholly disappointing.2. a fruit described by ancient writers as fair to the eye but turning to smoke and ashes when plucked.3. a spiny plant found near Jericho that bears small yellow fruits like small apples. It is related to the tomato.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.