pear

From Middle English pere, from Old English pere, from Proto-West Germanic *peru, from Vulgar Latin *pira, originally the plural of Latin pirum but reconstrued as a feminine singular, ultimately a loanword from an unknown Mediterranean substrate source. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Peere (“pear”), Dutch peer (“pear”), Danish pære (“pear”), French poire (“pear”), German Birne (“pear”), Icelandic pera (“pear”), Swedish päron (“pear”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /pɛə/

  • Audio (UK); [pʰɛː]:

    (file)

• (General American) enPR: pâr, IPA^(key): /pɛɚ/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (India) IPA^(key): /ˈpiːə(r)/
• Homophones: pair, pare
• Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)

pear (plural pears)

2. An edible fruit produced by the pear tree, similar to an apple but typically elongated towards the stem.
4. A type of fruit tree (Pyrus communis).

   Synonym: pear tree

5. The wood of the pear tree (pearwood, pear wood).
6. Choke pear (a torture device).
7. (Jamaica) avocado, alligator pear
8. A desaturated chartreuse yellow colour, like that of a pear.

   pear:  

• (edible fruit): fruit, pome

• warden

• Earp, Pera, Rape, aper, pare, prae-, præ-, rape, reap

• piar

From Vulgar Latin *pilare, from Latin pīla (“pillar”).

• IPA^(key): /peˈaɾ/

pear m (plural peares)

1. pillar

   Synonym: columna

2. window sill

   Synonym: peitoril

3. one of several stone pillars placed by way of a bridge

   Synonym: poldra

• Os Peares

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “pear”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “piar”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: ILG
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “pear”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “pear”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “piar”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): /ˈpʲeɹ/
• Hyphenation: pear

pear (plural pear dem, quantified pear)

1. avocado

   Mi waan sum ackee an pear.

   I'd like a few akees and avocados.

• ackee

• Richard Allsopp, editor (1996), Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage, Kingston, Jamaica: University of the West Indies Press, published 2003, →ISBN, page 434

From Old Frisian pār, ultimately from Latin pār.

pear n (plural pearen, diminutive pearke)

1. pair, couple

• “pear”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011