View synonyms for fruit

fruit

[ froot ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

plural fruits, (especially collectively) fruit.

any product of plant growth useful to humans or animals.
the developed ovary of a seed plant with its contents and accessory parts, as the pea pod, nut, tomato, or pineapple.
the edible part of a plant developed from a flower, with any accessory tissues, as the peach, mulberry, or banana.
the spores and accessory organs of ferns, mosses, fungi, algae, or lichen.
anything produced or accruing; product, result, or effect; return or profit:
the fruits of one's labors.
Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a gay man.

verb (used with or without object)

to bear or cause to bear fruit:
a tree that fruits in late summer; careful pruning that sometimes fruits a tree.

fruit

/ fruːt /

noun

botany the ripened ovary of a flowering plant, containing one or more seeds. It may be dry, as in the poppy, or fleshy, as in the peach
any fleshy part of a plant, other than the above structure, that supports the seeds and is edible, such as the strawberry
the specialized spore-producing structure of plants that do not bear seeds
any plant product useful to man, including grain, vegetables, etc
often plural the result or consequence of an action or effort
old-fashioned.
chap; fellow: used as a term of address
slang.
a person considered to be eccentric or insane
slang.
a male homosexual
archaic.
offspring of man or animals; progeny

verb

to bear or cause to bear fruit

fruit

The ripened ovary of a flowering plant that contains the seeds, sometimes fused with other parts of the plant. Fruits can be dry or fleshy. Berries, nuts, grains, pods, and drupes are fruits.
◆ Fruits that consist of ripened ovaries alone, such as the tomato and pea pod, are called true fruits.
◆ Fruits that consist of ripened ovaries and other parts such as the receptacle or bracts, as in the apple, are called accessory fruits or false fruits.
See also aggregate fruitSee Note at berry

fruit

In botany , the part of a seed-bearing plant that contains the fertilized seeds capable of generating a new plant ( see fertilization ). Fruit develops from the female part of the plant. Apples, peaches, tomatoes, and many other familiar foods are fruits.

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Derived Forms

ˈfruitˌlike, adjective

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Other Word Forms

fruit·like adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of fruit¹

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin frūctus “enjoyment, profit, fruit,” equivalent to frūg-, variant stem of fruī “to enjoy the produce of” + -tus suffix of verbal action

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Word History and Origins

Origin of fruit¹

C12: from Old French, from Latin frūctus enjoyment, profit, fruit, from frūī to enjoy

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Usage

To most of us, a fruit is a plant part that is eaten as a dessert or snack because it is sweet, but to a botanist a fruit is a mature ovary of a plant, and as such it may or may not taste sweet. All species of flowering plants produce fruits that contain seeds. A peach, for example, contains a pit that can grow into a new peach tree, while the seeds known as peas can grow into another pea vine. To a botanist, apples, peaches, peppers, tomatoes, pea pods, cucumbers, and winged maple seeds are all fruits. A vegetable is simply part of a plant that is grown primarily for food. Thus, the leaf of spinach, the root of a carrot, the flower of broccoli, and the stalk of celery are all vegetables. In everyday, nonscientific speech we make the distinction between sweet plant parts (fruits) and nonsweet plant parts (vegetables). This is why we speak of peppers and cucumbers and squash—all fruits in the eyes of a botanist—as vegetables.

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Idioms and Phrases

see bear fruit ; forbidden fruit .

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

She told the BBC she was abused by the US financier and "passed around like a platter of fruit" to his associates.

From BBC

This species is unique for the dorsal attachment of its stipe to the top of the pileus, and the abundant cystidia covering all surfaces of the fruiting body.

From Salon

From there, she was introduced to Epstein and alleges years of abuse before being "passed around like a platter of fruit" among his powerful associates.

From BBC

It is not yet clear how hard South Africa, which exports various fruits, including apples and grapes, to Tanzania, will be hit by the ban.

From BBC

Francis — a pastor, pope, prophet, and friend who “smelled like his sheep” — taught us through example that working for a just distribution of the fruits of the earth and human labor is not mere philanthropy.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

frugivorous fruitage

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