Main Entry: ¹fruit

Pronunciation: \ˈfrüt\

Function: noun

Usage: often attributive

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French frut, fruit, from Latin fructus fruit, use, from frui to enjoy, have the use of — more at brook

Date: 12th century

1 a : a product of plant growth (as grain, vegetables, or cotton) <the fruits of the field> b (1) : the usually edible reproductive body of a seed plant; especially : one having a sweet pulp associated with the seed <the fruit of the tree> (2) : a succulent plant part (as the petioles of a rhubarb plant) used chiefly in a dessert or sweet course c : a dish, quantity, or diet of fruits <live on fruit> d : a product of fertilization in a plant with its modified envelopes or appendages; specifically : the ripened ovary of a seed plant and its contents e : the flavor or aroma of fresh fruit in mature wine
2 : offspring, progeny
3 a : the state of bearing fruit <a tree in fruit> b : the effect or consequence of an action or operation : product, result <the fruits of our labor>
4 usually disparaging : a male homosexual

— fruit·ed \ˈfrü-təd\ adjective