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.
Six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the
fruits thereof.
The pulpy, edible seed vessels of certain plants, especially those grown on branches above ground, as apples, oranges, grapes, melons, berries, etc. See 3. (Hort.)
The ripened ovary of a flowering plant, with its contents and whatever parts are consolidated with it. (Bot.)
The spore cases or conceptacles of flowerless plants, as of ferns, mosses, algae, etc., with the spores contained in them. (Bot.)
The produce of animals; offspring; young; as, the fruit of the womb, of the loins, of the body.
King Edward's fruit, true heir to the English crown.
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.
The fruit of rashness.
What I obtained was the fruit of no bargain.
They shall eat the fruit of their doings.
The fruits of this education became visible.
Phrases & Compounds
Fruit bat
one of the Frugivora; -- called also fruit-eating bat.
Fruit bud
a bud that produces fruit; -- in most oplants the same as the power bud.
Fruit dot
a collection of fruit cases, as in ferns.
Fruit fly
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
one of numerous species of pigeons of the family Carpophagidæ, inhabiting India, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. They feed largely upon fruit. and are noted for their beautiful colors.
Fruit sugar
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
a tree cultivated for its edible fruit.
Fruit worm
one of numerous species of insect larvæ: which live in the interior of fruit. They are mostly small species of Lepidoptera and Diptera.