pineapple

American  

[pahy-nap-uhl] / ˈpaɪˌnæp əl /

noun

1. the edible, juicy, collective fruit of a tropical, bromeliaceous plant, Ananas comosus, that develops from a spike or head of flowers and is surmounted by a crown of leaves.

2. the plant itself, having a short stem and rigid, spiny-margined, recurved leaves.

3. Military Slang. a fragmentation hand grenade.

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pineapple British  

/ ˈpaɪnˌæpəl /

noun

1. a tropical American bromeliaceous plant, Ananas comosus, cultivated in the tropics for its large fleshy edible fruit

2. the fruit of this plant, consisting of an inflorescence clustered around a fleshy axis and surmounted by a tuft of leaves

3. slang military a hand grenade

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Etymology

Origin of pineapple

1350–1400 for earlier sense; 1655–65 pineapple for def. 1; Middle English pinappel pine cone; pine ¹, apple

Example Sentences

Either of us can say “pineapple” to cut off a conversation we don’t want to have, but neither of us has had to use it for a while.

From Literature

My Domino’s order is a small pepperoni, pineapple, olives and sausage slice ... hand tossed, cheesed up, and then I will get a side of garlic knots and a side of buffalo wings with ranch.

From Los Angeles Times

He dug a vegetable garden in the rich soil at Fire Mountain’s base and planted avocados, bananas, lettuce, oranges, pineapples, strawberries, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes, and bamboo for making pipes and useful things.

From Literature

Befitting the name, the drink arrives in a frozen pineapple crowned with sparklers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Then there’s the team from Italy, where ice hockey is about as popular as pineapple on pizza.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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• bomb
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