grape

[greyp]

noun

1. the edible, pulpy, smooth-skinned berry or fruit that grows in clusters on vines of the genus Vitis, and from which wine is made.

2. any vine bearing this fruit.

3. a dull, dark, purplish-red color.

4. (used with a singular verb),  grapes,

   1. tuberculosis occurring in cattle, characterized by the internal formation of grapelike clusters, especially in the lungs.

   2. tuberculosis occurring in horses, characterized by grapelike clusters on the fetlocks.

5. grapeshot.

6. the grape, wine.

grape

/ ɡreɪp /

noun

1. the fruit of the grapevine, which has a purple or green skin and sweet flesh: eaten raw, dried to make raisins, currants, or sultanas, or used for making wine

2. any of various plants that bear grapelike fruit, such as the Oregon grape

3. See grapevine

4. an informal term for wine

5. See grapeshot

Other Word Forms

• grapelike adjective
• grapeless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of grape¹

1200–50; Middle English < Old French, variant of crape cluster of fruit or flowers, originally hook (for pruning vines) < Germanic; compare German Krapf hook and grapple ( def. ), grapnel

Word History and Origins

Origin of grape¹

C13: from Old French grape bunch of grapes, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German krāpfo; related to _cramp ², _grapple

Idioms and Phrases

see sour grapes.

Example Sentences

With this year’s grape harvest in full swing, way too much wine from previous years still hasn’t been sold.

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And out of the animals’ mouths, like cornucopias, flow gleaming vines, leaves and bunches of grapes.

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Labor activist Cesar Chavez convinced Americans to stop buying table grapes for several years by showing them that a small sacrifice for families led to better lives for farm workers.

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My late grandmother, in particular, had a predictable, beloved spread: shrimp cocktail with horseradish-laced sauce; the supermarket veggie platter with ranch; crockpot meatballs simmered in barbecue sauce and grape jelly; salsa with Tostito’s scoops.

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Beyond the shabby Soviet-era blocks of Chisinau city suburbs, a short drive leads to field upon field lined with grape vines.

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