fruit

A1
US /[fɹʉwʔ]/ UK /fɹuːt/
noun verb Freq #2418

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    the consequence of some effort or action

    They lived long enough to see the fruit of their policies.

  2. 2
    verb

    bear fruit

    the trees fruited early this year

  3. 3
    noun

    A product of fertilization in a plant, specifically

    [A]fter the flower is past commeth the fruit in long pods, every seede bunching out like the pods of Orobus and as bigge almost as the smaller Pease.

  4. 4
    noun

    An end result, effect, or consequence; advantageous or disadvantageous result.

    His long nights in the office eventually bore fruit when his business boomed and he was given a raise.

  5. 5
    noun

    Of, belonging to, related to, or having fruit or its characteristics; (of living things) producing or consuming fruit.

    fresh-squeezed fruit juice

  6. 6
    noun

    A homosexual man, especially an effeminate one.

    "Moishe just checked in," he said. "He's a panhandler and a fruit. A disgrace to the Jewish race."

  7. 7
    noun

    Offspring from a sexual union.

    The litter was the fruit of the union between our whippet and their terrier.

  8. 8
    verb

    To produce fruit, seeds, or spores.

    It may be said, however, that the percentage of green apples among the Fameuse seedlings is much less than among the others as out of 33 Fameuse seedlings which had fruited up to this year, none was green and we recollect but one light coloured Fameuse seedling fruiting this year.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰruHg- Proto-Italic *frūgjōr Latin fruor Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus Latin frūctus Old French fruitbor. Middle English fruyt English fruit From Middle English fruyt, frut (“fruits and vegetables”), from Old French fruit (“produce, fruits and vegetables”), from Latin frūctus (“enjoyment, proceeds, profits, produce, income”) and frūx (“crop, produce, fruit”) (compare Latin fruor (“have the benefit of, to use, to enjoy”)), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰruHg- (“to make use of, to have enjoyment of”). Cognate with English brook (“to bea…

View etymology graph →

Thesaurus

Synonyms
2 verb · bear fruit set
6 noun · a homosexual man,... batty boybatty manbotterbum chumbumderbummerbutt riderchi chi mancock gobblerconfirmed bachelordicklickerfinocchio
Word family
Related forms fructosefrugivorefrugivorous

Send feedback

Optional — only if you'd like a reply.