Etymology
1. c.1175, from O.Fr.
fruit, from L.
fructus "fruit, produce, profit," from
frug-, stem of
frui "to use, enjoy" (cognate with O.E.
brucan "to enjoy," see brook (v.)). Older sense preserved in
fruits of one's labor. Originally in Eng. meaning vegetables as well. Modern narrower sense is from c.1225. Meaning "odd person, eccentric" is from 1910; that of "male homosexual" is from 1935.
Fruitcake is from 1854 in the literal sense; slang meaning "lunatic" is first attested 1952.
Fruitless "ineffectual" is from 1340.
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-Indo-European *bʰruHg-
4. Proto-Italic *frūgjōr
5. Latin fruor
6. Proto-Indo-European *-tus
7. Proto-Italic *-tus
8. Latin -tus
9. Latin frūctus
10. Old French fruitbor.
11. Middle English fruyt
12. English fruit
13. From Middle English fruyt, frut (“fruits and vegetables”), from Old French fruit (“produce, fruits and vegetables”), from Latin fruitus (“enjoyment, proceeds, profits, produce, income”), frūctus and frūx (“crop, produce, fruit”) (compare Latin fruor (“have the benefit of, to use, to enjoy”)).
14. Cognate with English brook (“to bear, tolerate”) and German brauchen (“to need”). Partially displaced native Old English wæstm, ofett and æppel (whence modern ovest and apple).
15. Compare Dutch vrucht, German Frucht, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish frukt, Danish frugt.
16. In the derogatory senses of “crazy person” and “homosexual or effeminate man”, possibly a shortening of fruitcake, or of independent origin, compare Fruit (slang). See: Latin '
fruor', English '
brook', German, old spelling '
brauchen'.