“Kaffir” means infidel in Arabic, from “kafara”. G. C. Whitworth’s Anglo-Indian Dictionary (1885) states that not only was the term applied by Muslims to unbelievers, but “in Western India the word is a common term of abuse.” When Arab slavers first came to the east coast of Africa they applied the word to the inhabitants, and it is best known today as a derogatory term used by South African whites for blacks. According to A Dictionary of South African English (Oxford, 1991) this “term of contempt” is “now an actionable insult.” Indian Muslims most likely encountered the fruit as an import from lands such as Thailand and Sri Lanka, where Buddhists and other non-Muslims predominated. From this Indian usage, intended to convey otherness and exotic provenance, the term passed into English. Botanically, it is Citrus hystrix, placing it within the papeda group, not typical limes or lemons.