from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
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 enjoyment of
man or animals by the processes of vegetable growth, as
corn, grass, cotton, flax, etc.; -- commonly used in the
plural.
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Six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather
in the
fruits thereof. --Ex. xxiii.
10.
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2. (Hort.) The pulpy, edible seed vessels of certain plants,
especially those grown on branches above ground, as
apples, oranges, grapes, melons, berries, etc. See 3.
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3. (Bot.) The ripened ovary of a flowering plant, with its
contents and whatever parts are consolidated with it.
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Note: Fruits are classified as fleshy, drupaceous, and dry.
{Fleshy fruits} include berries, gourds, and melons,
orangelike fruits and pomes; {drupaceous fruits} are
stony within and fleshy without, as peaches, plums, and
cherries; and {dry fruits} are further divided into
{achenes}, {follicles}, {legumes}, {capsules}, {nuts},
and several other kinds.
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4. (Bot.) The spore cases or conceptacles of flowerless
plants, as of ferns, mosses, algae, etc., with the spores
contained in them.
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6. The produce of animals; offspring; young; as, the fruit of
the womb, of the loins, of the body.
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King Edward's fruit, true heir to the English crown.
--Shak.
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6. That which is produced; the effect or consequence of any
action; advantageous or desirable product or result;
disadvantageous or evil consequence or effect; as, the
fruits of labor, of self-denial, of intemperance.
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The fruit of rashness. --Shak.
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What I obtained was the fruit of no bargain.
--Burke.
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They shall eat the fruit of their doings. --Is. iii
10.
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The fruits of this education became visible.
--Macaulay.
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Note: Fruit is frequently used adjectively, signifying of,
for, or pertaining to a fruit or fruits; as, fruit bud;
fruit frame; fruit jar; fruit knife; fruit loft; fruit
show; fruit stall; fruit tree; etc.
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{Fruit bat} (Zool.), one of the Frugivora; -- called also
{fruit-eating bat}.
{Fruit bud} (Bot.), a bud that produces fruit; -- in most
oplants the same as the power bud.
{Fruit dot} (Bot.), a collection of fruit cases, as in ferns.
See {Sorus}.
{Fruit fly} (Zool.), a small dipterous insect of the genus
{Drosophila}, which lives in fruit, in the larval state.
There are seveal species, some of which are very damaging
to fruit crops. One species, {Drosophila melanogaster},
has been intensively studied as a model species for
genetic reserach.
{Fruit jar}, a jar for holding preserved fruit, usually made
of glass or earthenware.
{Fruit pigeon} (Zool.), one of numerous species of pigeons of
the family {Carpophagid[ae]}, inhabiting India, Australia,
and the Pacific Islands. They feed largely upon fruit. and
are noted for their beautiful colors.
{Fruit sugar} (Chem.), a kind of sugar occurring, naturally
formed, in many ripe fruits, and in honey; levulose. The
name is also, though rarely, applied to {invert sugar}, or
to the natural mixture or dextrose and levulose resembling
it, and found in fruits and honey.
{Fruit tree} (Hort.), a tree cultivated for its edible fruit.
{Fruit worm} (Zool.), one of numerous species of insect
larv[ae]: which live in the interior of fruit. They are
mostly small species of Lepidoptera and Diptera.
{Small fruits} (Hort.), currants, raspberries, strawberries,
etc.
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