fru:t n. & v. --n. 1 a
the usu.
sweet and fleshy edible product of a
plant or
tree, containing
seed. b (in sing.)
these in
quantity (eats fruit). 2 the seed of a plant or tree
with its covering, e.g. an
acorn,
pea pod,
cherry, etc. 3 (usu. in pl.) vegetables, grains, etc. used
for food (fruits of the earth). 4 (usu. in pl.) the
result of
action etc.,
esp. as
financial reward (fruits of
his labours). 5 sl. esp. US a
male homosexual. 6 Bibl. an
offspring (the fruit of the
womb; the fruit of his loins). --v.intr. & tr. bear or
cause to bear fruit. øfruit bar a
piece of
dried and pressed fruit. fruit-bat
any large bat of the
suborder Megachiroptera, feeding on fruit. fruit(or fruiting-)
body (pl. -ies) the spore-bearing
part of a
fungus. fruit
cake 1 a cake containing dried fruit. 2 sl. an
eccentric or
mad person. fruit
cocktail a finely-chopped usu. tinned fruit
salad. fruit fly (pl. flies) any of
various flies, esp. of the
genus Drosophila, having larvae
that feed on fruit. fruit
machine Brit. a coin-operated
gaming machine giving
random combinations of symbols
often representing fruit. fruit salad 1 various fruits
cut up and served in
syrup,
juice, etc. 2 sl. a
display of medals etc. fruit
sugar fructose. fruit-tree a tree
grown for its fruit. fruit-wood the
wood of a fruit-tree, esp.
when used in
furniture. øøfruitage n. fruited adj. (also in comb.). [ME f. OF f. L fructus fruit, enjoyment f. frui enjoy]
