Etymology : Middle English appel, from Old English æppel; akin to Old High German apful apple, Old Irish ubull, Old Church Slavonic abluko
Pronunciation : a-p&l
Function : noun
Date : before 12th century
1. round fruit which grows on trees (usually red, green or yellow). the big town, the main stem, Harlem. apple\ap"ple\ (ăp"p'l), n. [oe. appel, eppel, as. ?ppel, ?pl; akin to fries. & d. appel, ohg, aphul, aphol, g. apfel, icel. epli, sw. ?ple, dan. ?ble, gael. ubhall, w. afal, arm. aval, lith. obůlys, russ. iabloko; of unknown origin.].
2. the fleshy pome or fruit of a rosaceous tree (pyrus malus) cultivated in numberless varieties in the temperate zones.note: the european crab apple is supposed to be the original kind, from which all others have sprung.
3. (bot.) any tree genus pyrus which has the stalk sunken into the base of the fruit; an apple tree.
4. any fruit or other vegetable production resembling, or supposed to resemble, the apple; as, apple of love, or love apple (a tomato), balsam apple, egg apple, oak apple.
5. anything round like an apple; as, an apple of gold.note: apple is used either adjectively or in combination; as, apple paper or apple-paper, apple-shaped, apple blossom, apple dumpling, apple pudding.apple blight, an aphid which injures apple trees. see:
blight, n.apple borer (zo?l.), a coleopterous insect (saperda candida or bivittata), the larva of which bores into the trunk of the apple tree and pear tree.apple brandy, brandy made from apples.apple butter, a sauce made of apples stewed down in cider.apple corer, an instrument for removing the cores from apples.apple fly (zo?l.), any dipterous insect, the larva of which burrows in apples. apple flies belong to the genera drosophila and trypeta.apple midge (zo?l.) a small dipterous insect (sciara mali), the larva of which bores in apples.apple of the eye, the pupil.apple of discord, a subject of contention and envy, so called from the mythological golden apple, inscribed "for the fairest," which was thrown into an assembly of the gods by eris, the goddess of discord. it was contended for by juno, minerva, and venus, and was adjudged to the latter.apple of love, or.
6. The fleshy pome or fruit of a rosaceous tree cultivated in numberless varieties in the temperate zones.
7. Any tree genus Pyrus which has the stalk sunken into the base of the fruit; an apple tree.
8. Any fruit or other vegetable production resembling, or supposed to resemble, the apple; as, apple of love, or love apple , balsam apple, egg apple, oak apple.
9. Anything round like an apple; as, an apple of gold.
10. To grow like an apple; to bear apples. fruit with red or yellow or green skin and sweet to tart crisp whitish flesh native Eurasian tree widely cultivated in many varieties for its firm rounded edible fruits.
11. 1. An apple is a round fruit with smooth green, yellow, or red skin and firm white flesh. I want an apple. his ongoing search for the finest varieties of apple. a large garden with apple trees in it. see also:
Adam's apple, Big Apple, crab apple.
12. If you say that someone is the apple of your eye, you mean that they are very important to you and you are extremely fond of them. Penny's only son was the apple of her eye. Fruit of the genus Malus, in the rose family, the most widely cultivated tree fruit. Malus species are native to the temperate zones of both hemispheres. They require a considerable period of dormancy, well-drained soil, careful pruning in early years of growth, and a rigorous pest-management program for mature trees. The apple is one of the pome (fleshy) fruits. Apples at harvest vary widely in size, shape, colour, and acidity, but most are fairly round and some shade of red or yellow. The thousands of varieties fall into three broad classes: cider, cooking, and dessert varieties. Varieties that ripen in late summer generally do not store well, but those that ripen in late autumn may be stored for as long as a year. The largest producers of apples are the U.S., China, France, Italy, and Turkey. Eaten fresh or cooked in various ways, apples provide vitamins A and C, carbohydrates, and fibre. Apple Computer Inc. apple scab custard apple.