noun
fruitcake
FROOT-kayk
Fruitcake (noun) means a dense cake made with dried fruit, nuts, and spices, often served at Christmas or weddings. Example: “Grandma's fruitcake gets soaked in brandy every December.”
noun
1
A dense cake made with dried fruit, nuts, and spices, often served at Christmas or weddings.
"Grandma's fruitcake gets soaked in brandy every December."
2
An eccentric or crazy person (informal).
"One of the loafers kept calling down, "Hey you, Blondie, you like fruitcake kids like that?""
— Ken Kesey, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1962)
"Easy, feller, easy. She's a fruitcake."
— Mickey Spillane, Kiss me Deadl (1952)
"He's a bit of a fruitcake, but he means well."
How to use fruitcake
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA rich cake full of dried fruit, or informally, a strange or crazy person.
Common pairings
nutty as a fruitcake
Christmas fruitcake
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Word forms
- Plural
- fruitcakes
Fill the gap
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Grandma's _____ gets soaked in brandy every December.
Etymology
A compound of fruit and cake, first recorded around 1687; the "crazy person" sense (as in "nutty as a fruitcake") appeared much later, in the 1950s.
Class of 1687
fruitcake joined the language around 1687.
See the full Class of 1687 →
Synonyms
View more →Related words
Rhymes for fruitcake
See all rhymes for fruitcake →Frequently asked questions
What does “fruitcake” mean?
The word “fruitcake” means a dense cake made with dried fruit, nuts, and spices, often served at Christmas or weddings. In plain terms, a rich cake full of dried fruit, or informally, a strange or crazy person.
How do you pronounce “fruitcake”?
“Fruitcake” is pronounced FROOT-kayk (/ˈfɹuːt.keɪk/ in IPA).
How do you use “fruitcake” in a sentence?
Here is “fruitcake” used in a sentence: “Grandma's fruitcake gets soaked in brandy every December.”
What part of speech is “fruitcake”?
“Fruitcake” is a noun.
Where does the word “fruitcake” come from?
The word “fruitcake” dates back to around 1687. A compound of fruit and cake, first recorded around 1687; the "crazy person" sense (as in "nutty as a fruitcake") appeared much later, in the 1950s.
How many meanings does “fruitcake” have?
“Fruitcake” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a dense cake made with dried fruit, nuts, and spices, often served at Christmas or weddings.
