Apple Once Meant Any Fruit at All
An apple is the fruit of the Malus tree. In Old English the word covered fruit in general, which is why so many unrelated things are called apples.
An apple is the fruit of the *Malus* tree. In Old English *æppel* meant fruit of any kind, which explains a trail of odd survivals: a pineapple was originally a pine cone, a French *pomme de terre* is an earth apple, and the Garden of Eden's fruit is never named in Genesis — Latin translators found *malum* meaning both apple and evil, and the association stuck.
- The fruit. *A crisp apple.*
- Apple of one's eye — a cherished person. *She is the apple of his eye.*
- Adam's apple — the laryngeal prominence. *A prominent Adam's apple.*
- Upset the apple cart — spoil a plan. *That upset the apple cart.*
- Pineapple — originally a pine cone. *A ripe pineapple.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | apple | One apple. |
| Plural | apples | A bag of apples. |
| Compound | applesauce | Pork and applesauce. |
| Old English | æppel | Any fruit. |
| Latin | malum | Apple, and evil. |
- The orchard grows six apple varieties.The fruit.
- One bad apple spoils the barrel.Proverb.
- The apple of my eye.Originally the pupil of the eye.
Why the forbidden fruit became an apple
- Genesis does not name it — only the fruit of a tree
- Latin malum means both apple and evil, which invited the pun
- Medieval art settled the image, and painters followed one another
- Other traditions suggest a fig, a grape or a pomegranate
- Adam's apple got its name from the same story, long afterwards
Old English *æppel*, fruit in general or an apple in particular, from a Proto-Germanic root shared with German *Apfel*. The narrowing to one fruit happened over the Middle English period.
Was the forbidden fruit an apple?
Genesis does not say. The apple became standard in western art partly because Latin malum means both apple and evil.
Why is a pineapple called that?
Pineapple originally meant a pine cone. When Europeans met the tropical fruit, they used the same word for its similar shape.