Advertisement

Advertisement

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.


pear

/ pɛə /

noun

  1. a widely cultivated rosaceous tree, Pyrus communis, having white flowers and edible fruits
  2. the sweet gritty-textured juicy fruit of this tree, which has a globular base and tapers towards the apex
  3. the wood of this tree, used for making furniture
  4. go pear-shaped informal.
    to go wrong

    the plan started to go pear-shaped

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


Discover More

Other Words From

  • pearlike adjective
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of pear1

First recorded before 1000; Middle English pe(e)re, Old English peru, from Late Latin pira, feminine singular use of plural of Latin pirum (neuter) “pear”
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of pear1

Old English pere, ultimately from Latin pirum
Discover More

Example Sentences

You can throw whole apples and pears in there without thinking twice, and like magic, juice will appear before your eyes.

Fruit fanThis works best with firmer fruits such as apples and pears.

Look for flavors of apple and pear, and pair with salty appetizers.

The kitchen would warm with the scent of pears and lemons roasting with spices.

Feel around the stem, and if the pear gives a little right there at the top, you’ve got the just-right Goldilocks of pears.

At the most basic level, most ciders are produced using a blend of sweet, sour, and bitter apple and pear varieties.

In schnaps, however, Subirer aromas are transformed into those of a caramelized pear tart, buttery, baked, and entirely pleasant.

Subirer, for example, is a small bitter pear that grows in the Alps, near Lech.

Its name roughly translates to “pig pear,” referencing the only animals contented to eat it.

PEGG: For most British people, the first time they get drunk is with cider—or Thunderbird pear wine.

It bears beautiful yellow blossoms in summer, after which comes the fruit, a prickly pear, not good to eat.

Occasionally there was a figure which had lost its capital, and so looked like a broken pillar, a sugar loaf, a pear.

The condensers were pear shaped in section, and built of mild steel plates.

Near to the kopje there was a garden surrounded by low trees and a hedge of prickly pear.

The little cottage was shut in on one side by a hedge of aloes and prickly pear and on the other by high cliffs and precipices.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


peanut wormpear haw