pear

pear — noun

1. A pear is a sweet, soft fruit that is wider near the bottom and narrower near th

1.nounA1
Definition

A pear is a sweet, soft fruit that is wider near the bottom and narrower near the top. The outer skin is usually green or yellow, and the flesh inside is juicy.

Example

Mei cut the pear into small pieces for her daughter's lunch.

pear as food — cutting or preparing

These pears are not ready to eat yet — they are still very hard.

Common collocations
  • ripe pear
  • juicy pear
  • sweet pear
  • slice a pear
  • peel a pear

Grammar Patterns

a pear

pears (plural)

Common Mistakes

I ate a pair for dessert.
I ate a pear for dessert.
'pair' means two of something and sounds the same but has a different spelling and meaning.

2. A pear tree is a plant that grows pears. It has white flowers in spring and is c

2.nounA2
Definition

A pear tree is a plant that grows pears. It has white flowers in spring and is commonly planted in orchards and gardens. There are many different types of pear trees.

Example

The pear tree in our garden produces a lot of fruit every summer.

Salma's grandfather planted this pear tree many years ago.

collocation: plant a pear tree

Common collocations
  • pear tree
  • pear orchard
  • pear blossom
  • plant a pear tree
  • prune a pear tree

Grammar Patterns

a pear tree

pear trees (plural)

Usage Note

Often used in compound form as 'pear tree' rather than just 'pear' when referring to the plant. The plural 'pear trees' is common when talking about orchards or cultivation.

Common Mistakes

We have two pears in our backyard.' (when meaning trees)
We have two pear trees in our backyard.
use 'pear tree' to refer to the plant; just 'pear' means the fruit.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Pear, apple, peach, and plum are all common tree fruits, but they differ in texture and taste. Pears have soft, slightly gritty flesh and come in green or yellow varieties. Apples are firmer and crisper, with a wider range of colours from red to green. Peaches have fuzzy skin and very soft, juicy flesh that is orange inside. Plums are smaller with smooth, purple or red skin and a tart-sweet flavour. For example, you might slice an apple for a salad, eat a peach fresh in summer, bake a plum into a pie, or poach a pear for a warm dessert.

apple ↗peach ↗plum

Common collocations

Nouns

  • pear tree
  • pear orchard
  • pear farmer
  • pear harvest
  • pear juice

Phrases

  • pear-shaped figure
  • core of a pear
  • skin of a pear

Prepositions

  • pears in a basket
  • bite into a pear

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'pear' comes from Old English 'pere', which was borrowed from Latin 'pirum' (meaning pear). The Latin word later passed through French before entering English. The modern spelling 'pear' became standard in the 1500s.