1. An ornamental evergreen tree (Averrhoa carambola), native to southeast Asia and having crisp, edible, yellow to orange, longitudinally ridged fruits that are star-shaped in cross section.
2. The fruit of this plant. Also called star fruit.

[Portuguese, perhaps from Marathi karambal.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.