pineapple

noun

pine·​ap·​ple ˈpī-ˌna-pəl 

1

a

: a tropical monocotyledonous plant (Ananas comosus of the family Bromeliaceae, the bromeliad family) that has rigid spiny-margined recurved leaves and a short stalk with a dense oblong head of small abortive flowers

b

: the large edible multiple fruit of the pineapple that consists of the sweet succulent fleshy inflorescence

2

: a hand grenade

Examples of pineapple in a Sentence

a can of chopped pineapple

Recent Examples on the Web

Bromelain Bromelain is an enzyme commonly found in pineapple that breaks down protein. —Emmanuella Ogbonna, Health, 28 Jan. 2025

The estate of the pineapple king Location: 4514 NE 1st Ave. —Nicolas Rivero, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025

Show-stopping dishes include burrata with tomato sorbet, yellowtail with XO sauce and mezcal-roasted pineapple, and a French omelette with Ibérico ham and black truffle gruyère. —Nicholas Derenzo, AFAR Media, 23 Jan. 2025

During the Chinese New Year season, Win Son Bakery in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, collaborates with the nearby Taiwanese shop Yun Hai to offer a Parmesan shortbread filled with pineapple jam. —Sarah Archer Gisela Williams Martha Cheng Carla Valdivia Nakatani Ryan Haase, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1624, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing pineapple

• pineapple guava
• pineapple sage

Kids Definition

pineapple

noun

pine·​ap·​ple ˈpī-ˌnap-əl 

: a tropical plant with stiff spiny sword-shaped leaves and a short flowering stalk that develops into an edible fruit with usually pale yellow sweet juicy flesh and very thick skin

also : this fruit

Etymology

Middle English pinappel "the cone of a pine"; so called because the fruit looks like the cone from a pine tree

Medical Definition

pineapple

noun

pine·​ap·​ple ˈpī-ˌnap-əl 

1

: a tropical monocotyledonous plant (Ananas comosus of the family Bromeliaceae, the pineapple family) that has rigid spiny-margined recurved leaves and a short stalk with a dense oblong head of small abortive flowers

2

: the multiple fruit of the pineapple that consists of the succulent fleshy inflorescence and whose juice is the source of the proteolytic enzyme bromelain