madroño

strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo); fruit of the strawberry tree; lemon drop mangosteen

Uncertain, perhaps from Basque mart- (“blackberry; bramble”), as in martotx (“bramble”), martsuts ~ martuza (“blackberry”). Basque also gave Aragonese martuel, Catalan maduixa (“strawberry”). Similar sense development in Galician amorogo, Portuguese morango (“strawberry”), both from amora (“blackberry; bramble”). Replaced now dialectal (a)borto, from Old Spanish alborco, from Latin arbutus. Compare Portuguese medronho and Aragonese medrollo. Note also Armenian մաթուզ (matʻuz).