pineapple

English

Pronunciation

  • enPR: pīʹnăpəl, IPA(key): /ˈpaɪnæpəl/
  • Audio (US)(file)

Etymology 1

A split pineapple.

From Middle English pinappel (“pinecone”, literally “pine-apple/pine-fruit”), equivalent to pine +‎ apple. Later applied to the fruit of the pineapple plant due to its resemblance to a pinecone. Compare the post-Classical Latin pomum pini, the Old French pume de pin, the Middle French and French pomme de pin, the Middle Dutch and Dutch pijnappel, the Middle Low German pinappel, the Old High German pīnapful, the Middle High German pīnaphel, and the early Modern German pinapfel — all in the sense of “pine cone”.

Noun

pineapple (plural pineapples)

  1. A tropical plant, Ananas comosus, native to South America, having thirty or more long, spined and pointed leaves surrounding a thick stem.
  2. The ovoid fruit of the pineapple plant, which has very sweet white or yellow flesh, a tough, spiky shell and a tough, fibrous core.
  3. (uncountable) The flesh of a pineapple fruit used as a food item.
  4. (slang) An Australian fifty dollar note.
  5. A web burrfish (Chilomycterus antillarum, syn. Chilomycterus geometricus)
Synonyms
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Etymology 2

A pineapple-style hand grenade

From the shape of a pineapple (the fruit)

Noun

pineapple (plural pineapples)

  1. (slang) A hand grenade.
  2. A hairstyle consisting of a ponytail worn on top of the head, imitating the leaves of a pineapple.
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Etymology 3

From the tropical fruit being brought in as a luxurious delicacy, featured as the centerpiece of grand meals full of Southern hospitality.[1]

Symbol

pineapple

  1. (U.S. Old South, obsolete) In the Old South, a pineapple placed over the entrance of a house meant the homeowner was home and providing hospitality to visitors. [2][3]
  2. (U.S. Old South, dated) The likeness of a pineapple is a symbol of Southern hospitality. [4][5]
Usage notes

The symbology is attached to wording using "pineapple" as well as the image, shape, physical likeness and the actual fruit. The word "pineapple" is attached to corporate names in the hospitality industry indicating its enduring meaning.[6][7]

References

  1. ↑ Hidden Charleston, "A Symbol of Southern Hospitality" (23 November 2015)
  2. ↑ Learn2Grow, "The Welcoming Pineapple", Lynn Means
  3. ↑ Sweetgrass Social, "The Legend of the Charleston Pineapple" (23 May 2014)
  4. ↑ Chavah's Garden, "Why Are Pineapples a Symbol of Hospitality?", Sydney C de Baca (14 June 2016)
  5. ↑ Atlas Obscura, "The Hidden History of the Housewarming Pineapple", Cale Weissman (31 December 2015)
  6. ↑ Westbridge Homes, "The Pineapple: A Symbol of Hospitality & Friendship" (10 February 2011)
  7. ↑ Hawthorne Tours, "The Pineapple as a Symbol of Hospitality..."
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