Ugli

noun UG-lee ˈʌɡli

Also spelled ugli fruit, Jamaican tangelo

A citrus fruit that arose in Jamaica as a natural cross between a tangerine or orange and a grapefruit, which makes it a tangelo, and it is also called the Jamaican tangelo. The skin is thick, loose, wrinkled, and greenish-yellow, which is where the name comes from. The flesh inside is juicy and less bitter than a grapefruit.

  • Mi buy two ugli a di market.

    I bought two ugli fruit at the market.

  • Ugli look rough pon di outside, but di juice sweet.

    The ugli looks rough on the outside, but the juice is sweet.

  • Ugli inna season from December.

    Ugli is in season from December.

A respelling of the English word 'ugly', for the fruit's rough, wrinkled skin. The first tree was found growing wild near Brown's Town in about 1917.

'UGLI' is a registered trademark of Cabel Hall Citrus Limited, so the plain name for the fruit is Jamaican tangelo. It is in season from about December to April. See Tangelo, Ortanique.