pithy
In Appalachian and Southern speech, "pithy" is used to describe fruit (especially apples) that’s soft, spongy, or mealy instead of firm and crisp. It’s a down-home food word borrowed from "pith" (the soft center of a plant).
Hillbilly Dude Says...
Growin' up - and in my family currently - if an apple ain't crisp, it's 'pithy, and inedible. Pronunciation
[PITH-ee]
Meaning & Usage
- Soft or spongy texture in fruit (adjective)
Mae:
How’s that apple?
How’s that apple?
Earl:
Kinda pithy - not crisp at all.
Kinda pithy - not crisp at all.- Disappointingly soft instead of firm (adjective, figurative)
Mae:
These peaches got pithy after sitting on the counter too long.
These peaches got pithy after sitting on the counter too long.other spellings: mealy
★ "Pithy" in this sense is a farm-kitchen word. It’s rarely used this way outside the South/Appalachia, where orchard fruit and canning are part of everyday life. ★
Origin
From "pith," the soft, spongy tissue inside plants. Farmers and cooks extended it to describe fruit flesh that turned soft or mealy. Documented in Southern/Appalachian dialect for generations.
Notes
Still heard among older rural speakers and home canners. Outside the South, most people only know "pithy" as "brief" or "concise."
Say It Like a Southerner
Said plain: "pith-ee." Rhymes with "myth-ee."