āhuacatl

The Aztecs called the fruit āhuacatl, which also meant "testicle"—a reference to its shape and the way it hangs in pairs from the tree. When Spanish conquistadors encountered the fruit in the 16th century, they couldn't quite pronounce the Nahuatl word and adapted it to aguacate.

The fruit spread slowly at first. Europeans were suspicious of its buttery texture and presumed aphrodisiac properties (that name again). But in the Americas, it became a staple. The word evolved differently in different places: aguacate in Spanish, avocat in French, avocado in English.

For centuries, avocados were regional. California and Florida grew them; most Americans had never seen one. Then came the 1990s, NAFTA, the Super Bowl guacamole boom, and the rise of "healthy fats." The avocado became a symbol of millennial food culture—and the subject of generational warfare ("Stop buying avocado toast and you could afford a house").

The Aztec word for testicle is now one of the most contested fruits in Western culture. Production has reshaped Mexican agriculture, fueled cartel violence, and drained water resources. The fruit has become a $14 billion global industry.