what does "Manilkara zapota(Sapodilla)" mean? what lang. is it?

Answer 1

Sapodilla

Manilkara zapota

a.k.a. Chico Sapote, Zapote, Chicle

A uniquely flavored fruit, the soft brown flesh of the sapodilla tastes a bit like a sweet mix of brown sugar and root beer. The sapodilla tree is also the source of chicle, a chewing gum component

Answer 2

The only reference I have been able to find on this is this entry from answers.com

"Spanish zapotillo, diminutive of zapote, sapodilla fruit, from Nahuatl tzapotl"

This explains the zapota part.

On further investigation, I found out that Nahuatl was the language of the Aztecs.

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The Manilkara part was changed from Achras.

I did find the following information at the site listed below:
"The botanical name of the fruit is no less confusing. Both Manilkara and Achras are commonly used as generic names and there appears to be no agreement among botanists or horticulturists as to the proper term. Sapota (zapota) or sapote (zapote) are commonly used as the species name, although this too is variable among regions and authors. Gilly (1943) addressed this problem of confused nomenclature. It seems the generic name Achras, given by Linnaeus, was based upon a plate and description by the botanist Plumier. Unfortunately, the plant described by Plumier is not sapodilla, leading to the misnaming. Gilly suggests that Manilkara zapotilla (Jacq.) Gilly is the only proper name since Manilkara is the earliest recorded name of the group to which sapodilla belongs and zapotilla was specifically applied to sapodilla at the time of its publication. Still, the nomenclature of this species remains confused. "

Answer 3

Well, "Manilkara zapota" is the scientific name. We call this "neo-Latin" although, in this case, no true Latin is involved. The generic name ‘Manilkara’ is taken from a local name for a member of the genus in Malabar. The specific epithet is taken from the indigenous name 'Zapote'. ‘Sapodilla’, is the common name by which the fruit is known; it is taken from the Spanish ‘zapotillo’ meaning ‘small zapote’.