# fruit

> English word · Noun · IPA [fɹʉwʔ] · frequency rank #2,625

## Definitions
1. A product of fertilization in a plant, specifically
2. A product of fertilization in a plant, specifically:
3. A product of fertilization in a plant, specifically:
4. Any sweet or sour, edible part of a plant that resembles seed-bearing fruit (see former sense) even if it does not develop from a floral ovary.
5. Any sweet or sour, edible part of a plant that resembles seed-bearing fruit (see former sense) even if it does not develop from a floral ovary.
6. An end result, effect, or consequence; advantageous or disadvantageous result.
7. Of, belonging to, related to, or having fruit or its characteristics; (of living things) producing or consuming fruit.
8. A homosexual man, especially an effeminate one.
9. An effeminate man.
10. Offspring from a sexual union.
11. A crazy person.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *bʰruHg-
Proto-Italic *frūgjōr
Latin fruor
Proto-Indo-European *-tus
Proto-Italic *-tus
Latin -tus
Latin frūctus
Old French fruitbor.
Middle English fruyt
English fruit
From Middle English fruyt, frut (“fruits and vegetables”), from Old French fruit (“produce, fruits and vegetables”), from Latin frūctus (“enjoyment, proceeds, profits, produce, income”) and frūx (“crop, produce, fruit”) (compare Latin fruor (“have the benefit of, to use, to enjoy”)), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰruHg- (“to make use of, to have enjoyment of”). Cognate with English brook (“to bear, tolerate”) and German brauchen (“to need”). Displaced native Old English wæstm and Old English æppel.
In the derogatory senses of “crazy person” and “homosexual or effeminate man”, possibly a shortening of fruitcake, or of independent origin, compare Fruit (slang).

## Easily confused with
- **fut** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fruit-vs-fut)
- **fruits** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fruit-vs-fruits)
- **fruity** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fruit-vs-fruity)
- **fit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fit-vs-fruit)
- **fret** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fret-vs-fruit)
- **frat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/frat-vs-fruit)
- **Fait** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fait-vs-fruit)
- **front** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/front-vs-fruit)
- **fault** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fault-vs-fruit)
- **fluid** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fluid-vs-fruit)
- **frost** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/frost-vs-fruit)
- **Fritz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fritz-vs-fruit)
- **frail** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/frail-vs-fruit)
- **Faust** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/faust-vs-fruit)
- **frith** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/frith-vs-fruit)

## Common misspellings (7)
`ffruit`, `friut`, `frruit`, `fruitt`, `fruti`, `furit`, `rfuit`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/fruit