forbidden fruit
UK /fəˈbɪ.dn̩ fɹuːt/ · US /fɚˈbɪ.dn̩ fɹut/ noun
Forms forbidden fruits
- noun (biblical) The fruit forbidden to Adam.
- noun (idiomatic) Illicit pleasure.
- noun Something desired that cannot be had. “She was forbidden fruit because she was his teacher. This taboo made him want a relationship with her even more.”
- noun A small variety of shaddock (Citrus maxima), or sometimes other citrus fruits.
Etymology
With reference to Genesis 2:17: ‘But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.’ (KJV)
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “forbidden fruit”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details