Dear Ask The Globe,

In answer to A.G.'s question, "How was kiwi fruit named?" [Jan. 31, 2000], you omitted the most important and interesting fact about the matter -- that the fruit was renamed very recently, by exporters, for marketing reasons.

A simple Internet search yields the fruit's original names: it was known as "yang tao" in southern China, as Actinidia chinensis to botanists, and as "Chinese gooseberry" to the English-speaking world until it was renamed for commercial reasons. My copy of the American Heritage Dictionary dates the word "kiwifruit" to 1966, making it a very recent coinage.

Two items from the net:

"First known as the Chinese gooseberry, kiwifruit (also kiwi) received its current name from New Zealand exporters who wanted to avoid confusion with the American gooseberry and also have it identified with their country."
http://www.fbnr.com/ECguide/ECGhtml/75170.htm

"NEW ZEALAND, the country that turned a Chinese gooseberry into a Kiwi fruit - and in doing so achieved one of the world’s most effective marketing coups - is set to repeat its success in Asia."
http://web3.asia1.com.sg/timesnet/data/cna/docs/cna1315.html

Best regards,

Jonathan Rees
Arlington, MA