fruit
- fruit
\ \ [12] English acquired fruit via Old French fruit from Latin frūctus, a source more clearly on display in fructify [14], fructose [19], etc. The underlying meaning of the Latin noun seems to have been ‘enjoyment of that which is produced’, for it came, like frūx (source of English frugal), from a base which also produced the verb fruī ‘enjoy’. By classical times, however, it had passed from ‘enjoyment’ to the ‘product’ itself – the ‘rewards’ of an enterprise, the ‘return’ on an investment, or the ‘produce’ obtained from the soil or from farm animals. When it reached English this latter meaning had narrowed down somewhat, but it was still capable of being used far more broadly, for any ‘edible vegetable’, than we would do today, except in certain archaic expressions such as ‘fruits of the earth’. The modern restriction to the edible reproductive body of a tree, bush, etc dates from the 13th century. English retains, of course, the more general sense ‘product, result’, although this is now usually expressed by the plural fruits.
\ \ Cf.⇒ FRUCTIFY, FRUGAL
Word origins - 2ed.
J. Ayto.
2005.
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Look at other dictionaries:
fruit — 1. (frui ; le t ne se lie pas dans le parler ordinaire ; au pluriel, l s se lie : des frui z excellents) s. m. 1° Produit des végétaux qui provient de l évolution de la fleur et qui contient les graines. Fruit pulpeux. Fruit sec, fruit qui n a… … Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré
fruit — FRUIT. substantif masculin. Ce que les arbres & les plantes portent, pour la propagation de leur espece, & pour la nourriture des hommes & des animaux. Fruit nouveau. fruit verd. fruit meur. fruit precoce, fruit hastif. fruit tardif. fruit à… … Dictionnaire de l'Académie française
Fruit — Fruit, n. [OE. fruit, frut, F. fruit, from L. fructus enjoyment, product, fruit, from frui, p. p. fructus, to enjoy; akin to E. brook, v. t. See {Brook}, v. t., and cf. {Fructify}, {Frugal}.] 1. Whatever is produced for the nourishment or… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
fruit — fruit·age; fruit·ar·i·an; fruit; fruit·ed; fruit·er; fruit·er·er; fruit·er·ess; fruit·ery; fruit·ful; fruit·ful·ly; fruit·ful·ness; fruit·i·ness; fruit·less; fruit·let; jack·fruit; fruit·less·ly; fruit·less·ness; in·ter·fruit·ful·ness; … English syllables
Fruit — Тип Шахматная программа Разработчик Фабьен Летузье Операционная система Windows, Linux, Mac OS X Последняя версия 2.3.1 Лицензия Свободное программное обеспечение … Википедия
Fruit — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Fruit es un programa de ajedrez desarrollado por Fabien Letouzey. En la lista de la Asociación Sueca de Ajedrez por Computadora Swedish Chess Computer Association (SSDF) del 24 de noviembre de 2006, la versión 2.2.1… … Wikipedia Español
fruit — n 1 a: something (as evidence) that is obtained or gathered during an action or operation (as a search) moved to suppress evidence seized from the room on the grounds that it was obtained as the fruit of an illegal arrest National Law Journal b… … Law dictionary
fruit — [fro͞ot] n. pl. fruit or fruits [ME < OFr < L fructus, enjoyment, means of enjoyment, fruit, produce, profit < pp. of frui, to partake of, enjoy < IE base * bhrūg , fruit, to enjoy > BROOK2] 1. any plant product, as grain, flax,… … English World dictionary
fruit — late 12c., from O.Fr. fruit fruit, fruit eaten as dessert; harvest; virtuous action (12c.), from L. fructus an enjoyment, delight, satisfaction; proceeds, produce, fruit, crops, from frug , stem of frui to use, enjoy, from PIE *bhrug agricultural … Etymology dictionary
fruit´i|ly — fruit|y «FROO tee», adjective, fruit|i|er, fruit|i|est. 1. tasting or smelling like fruit: »the rich fruity odor of jam. 2. (of wine) having the ta … Useful english dictionary
fruit|y — «FROO tee», adjective, fruit|i|er, fruit|i|est. 1. tasting or smelling like fruit: »the rich fruity odor of jam. 2. (of wine) having the ta … Useful english dictionary
