a climbing shrub, Actinidia chinensis, native to China and cultivated commercially in New Zealand for its edible fruit
2.
the egg-sized, edible berry of this shrub, having fuzzy brownish skin and slightly tart green flesh; kiwi
Also called: yang tao
Word origin
[1920–25]This word is first recorded in the period 1920–25. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: ski jump, slalom, superpower, tie-in, zipper