The word fruit matured in Middle English and grew from the seeds of Anglo-French frut and fruit, which are rooted in the Latin verb frui, meaning "to enjoy" or "to have the use of." Scientifically, it is the name for the fleshy or dry ripened ovary of a flowering plant enclosing a seed or seeds. So, apricots, bananas, grapes, as well as bean pods, corn grains, tomatoes, cucumbers, and (when in their shell) acorns and almonds are all fruits—fruits are not necessarily sweet, succulent, or pulpy foods. The botanical use of ovary has similarities in meaning to the one found in human anatomy textbooks.
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