the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant
"The gardener carefully picked the ripe fruit from the tree to check if the seeds inside were ready for planting next season."
the consequence of some effort or action
"he lived long enough to see the fruit of his policies"
In general, a product of plant growth useful to man or animals.
"The basket is full of fresh fruit from the farm stand."
In plain English: Fruit is the sweet, fleshy part of a plant that grows on trees or bushes and contains seeds.
"We need to buy some fresh fruit for the salad."
Usage: Use "fruit" to refer specifically to the sweet, fleshy food produced by flowering plants, such as apples or bananas. Avoid using it for other plant products like vegetables, seeds, or grains unless they are botanically classified as fruit.
cause to bear fruit
"The new manager's strict policies didn't take effect immediately, but eventually they caused the struggling team to bear fruit by delivering record profits."
To produce fruit, seeds, or spores.
"The old apple tree finally fruited after ten years of drought."
In plain English: To fruit means to produce fruit or seeds as part of a plant's life cycle.
"The heavy rain caused many trees to fruit heavily this year."
Usage: Do not use "fruit" as a verb to mean producing crops; instead, use "bear," "yield," or "produce." The word "fruit" should remain strictly as a noun referring to the edible product of a plant.
A surname.
"My neighbor, Mr. Fruit, was always quick to share his homemade jams during harvest season."
The word fruit entered English from the French fruit, which originally referred to both fruits and vegetables. It ultimately derives from Latin roots meaning "enjoyment" or "produce," replacing earlier Old English terms for growth and apples.