Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Definition of pear - 3 dictionary results

pear

[pair]
–noun
1. the edible fruit, typically rounded but elongated and growing smaller toward the stem, of a tree, Pyrus communis, of the rose family.
2. the tree itself.

Origin:
bef. 1000; ME pe(e)re, OE peru < LL pira, fem. sing. use of pl. of L of pirum (neut.) pear


pearlike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To pear
pear   (pâr)   
n.  
  1. A widely cultivated tree (Pyrus communis) in the rose family, having glossy leaves, white flowers grouped in a corymb, and edible fruit.

  2. The fruit of this tree, spherical at the base and tapering toward the stalk.


[Middle English pere, from Old English peru, a pear, ultimately from Vulgar Latin *pira, from Latin, pl. of pirum.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

pear 
O.E. pere, peru, common W.Gmc. (cf. M.Du., M.L.G. pere, Du. peer), from V.L. *pira, fem. sing. of L. pira, pl. of pirum "pear," a loan word from an unknown source.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see pear on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: