fruition

noun

fru·​ition frü-ˈi-shən 

1

: pleasurable use or possession : enjoyment

the sweet fruition of an earthly crown

—Christopher Marlowe

2

a

: the state of bearing fruit

the fields needed rain for fruition

—Pearl Buck

b

: realization

Did you know?

Fruition must come from the word fruit, right? Not exactly—the apple falls a little further from the tree than one might think. Fruition and fruit are related (both ultimately come from the Latin verb frui, meaning "to enjoy"), but they came about independently. The original meaning of fruition had nothing to do with fruit. Rather, when the term was first used in the 15th century, it meant only "pleasurable use or possession," as when playwright and Shakespeare contemporary Christopher Marlowe wrote of "the sweet fruition of an earthly crown." Not until several centuries later did fruition develop a second meaning, "the state of bearing fruit," possibly as the result of a mistaken assumption that fruition evolved from fruit. The "state of bearing fruit" sense was followed quickly by the figurative application to anything that can be "realized" and metaphorically bear fruit, such as a plan or a project.

Synonyms

• accomplishment
• achievement
• actuality
• actualization
• attainment
• consummation
• fulfillment
• fulfilment
• pass
• realization

Examples of fruition in a Sentence

These were dreams of long standing that had finally come to fruition … —Nicholas Fraser, Harper's, September 1996

Truth is a weapon so powerful that the slowness of its fruition matters little in the end. —Edith Hamilton, New Yorker, 12 Sept. 1994

The ground thaws, the sap flows, then comes the leaf, the bud, the full flowering of national and individual entitlements, an unstoppable surge toward the glorious fruition promised by the idea of independence. —Janette Turner Hospital, New York Times Book Review, 30 Dec. 1990

when she landed the lead in a Broadway play, a lifelong dream was brought to fruition

Recent Examples on the Web

This scenario is the least likely to come to fruition, according to Goldman Sachs, which assigned just a 5% probability to the outcome. —Sarah Min, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024

The more challenging question to address, however, is how many USC fans will be there to see that come to fruition? —Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024

This came to fruition again with her work on Craig starrer Layer Cake and on the first season of Peaky Blinders, the latter of which ushered in a mini fashion revolution and won Collie an RTS Award. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2024

On the Bootleg Kev podcast, Jelly Roll said their collaboration came to fruition after Interscope’s Jimmy Iovine coordinated a FaceTime call between Jelly and Dre. —Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fruicioun, fruicion "use, enjoyment, joy felt in mystical communion with God," borrowed from Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French fruicion, fruition, borrowed from Late Latin fruitiōn-, fruitiō "use, enjoyment," from Latin fruor, fruī "to enjoy the produce or proceeds of, derive advantage from, be blessed with, derive pleasure from" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at fruit entry 1

Note: Sense 2 reflects reanalysis of the word as a process noun from fruit entry 1/fruit entry 2. This usage is not uncommon in the nineteenth century, but was slow to be recognized in dictionaries. Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language (1890) does not recognize it in its definition of fruition ("use or possession of anything, especially such as is accompanied with pleasure or satisfaction"), but nonetheless uses it in its definition of fruit as a verb: "to bear or produce fruit; to come to fruition." The Century Dictionary (1889-91) more or less accurately defines the new sense ("a coming into fruit or fulfilment; attainment of anything desired; realization of results"), while exemplifying it with quotes from seventeenth-century authors (Francis Quarles, Thomas Browne, James Howell) that illustrate only the traditional sense.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

fruition

noun

fru·​i·​tion

frü-ˈish-ən

1

: the state of bearing fruit

2

: the state of being real or complete : realization, accomplishment

brought her dreams to fruition