pear

American  

[pair] / pɛər /

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.

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pear British  

/ 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. informal to go wrong

   the plan started to go pear-shaped

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Other Word Forms

• pearlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of pear

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”

Example Sentences

On Camino Escalante, Guthrie’s squat, orange brick house is set back from the road behind a lawn planted with prickly pear, agave, cholla and yucca.

From The Wall Street Journal

And fruits, which range from varieties of pear to bright citruses like orange and grapefruit.

From Salon

After all, the man was shaped like a pear.

From Literature

He had been given a woven bag of apples, of plums and pears and apricots: dryad fruit, like nothing else on Earth.

From Literature

It gives the EU greater market access for wine and spirits, high-end chocolates, luxury automobiles, machinery and relatively expensive fruits such as kiwis and pears, among other goods.

From The Wall Street Journal