noun
pear
peh-uh
noun
1
A sweet fruit that is typically rounder at the bottom and narrower near the stem, grown on the pear tree (Pyrus communis).
"She sliced a pear into the salad."
2
A desaturated yellow-green color, like an unripe pear.
"The walls were painted a soft pear color."
How to Use Pear
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe teardrop-shaped fruit, or its soft green-yellow color.
Common mistake
"Go pear-shaped" is a British idiom meaning a plan went badly wrong — it has nothing to do with the fruit's taste.
Common pairings
pear-shaped
ripe pear
pear tree
Word Forms
pears plural
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Etymology
From Old English pere, ultimately borrowed from Vulgar Latin pira — the word likely traces back to an unknown Mediterranean language rather than an Indo-European root.