[fruit] n, often attrib [ME, fr. OF, fr. L fructus fruit, use, fr. frui to enjoy, have the use of--more at brook] (12c) 1 a: a product of plant growth (as grain, vegetables, or cotton) "the ~s of the field" b (1): the usu. edible reproductive body of a seed plant; esp: one having a sweet pulp associated with the seed "the ~ of the tree" (2): a succulent plant part (as the petioles of a rhubarb plant) used chiefly in a dessert or sweet course c: a dish, quantity, or diet of fruits "live on ~" d: a product of fertilization in a plant with its modified envelopes or appendages; specif: the ripened ovary of a seed plant and its contents e: the flavor or aroma of fresh fruit in mature wine
2: offspring, progeny 3 a: the state of bearing fruit "a tree in ~" b: the effect or consequence of an action or operation: product, result "the ~s of our labor"
4: a male homosexual--often used disparagingly -- fruit.ed adj
[2]fruit vi (14c): to bear fruit ~ vt: to cause to bear fruit