pear
|pear|
🇺🇸
/pɛr/
🇬🇧
/pɛə/
round, sweet fruit
Etymology
'pear' originates from Old English 'pere' (also attested as 'pere'/'per(e)'), ultimately borrowed from Late Latin 'pira' (plural of Latin 'pirum', 'pear').
'pear' changed from Old English 'pere', influenced by Old French 'poire' (from Latin), and appeared in Middle English as 'per(e)' before becoming the modern English 'pear'.
Initially it meant the fruit 'pear' (the edible fruit of the pear tree), and this basic meaning has persisted into modern English with little change.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a sweet, edible fruit with a rounded base and a narrower top, produced by a pear tree; counted as a single item (countable).
I ate a ripe pear for breakfast.
Noun 2
the tree that bears pears (any tree of the genus Pyrus).
The pear in the garden blossoms every spring.
Idioms
Last updated: 2025/09/19 19:58