'fruitlet' originates from the word 'fruit' with the diminutive suffix '-let', indicating a smaller version of something.

'Fruit' from Old French 'fruct', from Latin 'fructus', meaning 'enjoyment, proceeds, profit, produce, fruit'. The diminutive '-let' is from Middle English, indicating a smaller form.

Initially, it meant 'a small fruit', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.