The word "fig" first emerged in the thirteenth century. The term is derived from the Provençal figo, which was derived from the Latin ficus. It superseded the popular fie and fige dialectical forms, which were in use until the 12th century. The Latin name is said to be derived from the Hebrew word feg. The fig tree, which is native to West or South-West Asia, is the only one of the 600 to 800 Ficus species whose fruit is commercially produced. Other species are grown for latex production, which is used to create rubber, or as decorative plants for indoor and outdoor usage. The fig, together with the date, the olive, and the grape, was the most significant fruit in the diet of ancient Mediterranean civilizations. The cultivation of the fig tree goes back at least 4,000 years before our period, according to relics discovered during the excavation of Neolithic sites in the Near East. This tree was revered and nurtured by the Phoenicians, Egyptians, Cretans, Greeks, and Romans. The Romans brought it to the rest of Europe, as they did with many other food plants. It would be planted in France from the end of the eighth century, particularly in Charlemagne's orchards. It was brought to Mexico by Spanish invaders in the 16th century. Then, in the 18th century, missionaries planted it in their Californian missions, giving it the name Mission, which also happens to be the name of one of the most widespread fig kinds. The fig tree is frequently planted in places such as Turkey, Egypt, Greece, Iran, and Morocco as a plant for hot and dry conditions. These countries produce 60 percent of the world's output. It's also grown in Central and South America, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and southern Asia, as well as the United States, mostly in California. Only a small percentage of the figs produced for export are sold fresh. The remainder is dried or utilized by the food industry, which combines it into a variety of processed foods. half grape, half FIG This is a really ancient idiom! It relates to the practice of merchants in the ancient Greek city of Corinth of adding dried figs to their famed grapes in order to sell them to the Venetians. This word will then indicate the Venetians' uncertainty, as they wavered between hungry gratification and dissatisfaction at having been duped. It will thereafter be used to denote any ambiguity of the same type.