French Conversation · Level 12
90 words
French word
poire
Pronunciation
IPA/pwaʁ/
Meaning
- feminine nounpear
Example
J'ai acheté une poire au marché.
I bought a pear at the market.
More examples
La tarte aux poires était délicieuse.
The pear tart was delicious.
Core concept
A soft, sweet, elongated fruit whose name also describes an easily fooled person.
Common phrases
tarte aux poires
pear tart
jus de poire
pear juice
poire mûre
ripe pear
Similar words
pomme: A round fruit with slightly firm skin, crisp flesh, and balanced sweetness and tartness.
banane: A long, soft, sweet fruit eaten after its peel is removed.
orange: A round fruit with thick skin, juicy segments, and a sweet-tart flavor.
pêche: A round, fragrant fruit with soft skin and tender, sweet flesh.
Definition in French
Fruit comestible du poirier, à chair tendre et sucrée, de silhouette allongée ; familièrement, personne qui se fait facilement avoir.
Word origin
French poire descends from Latin pirum through Old French poire, and its colloquial person sense developed metaphorically from the fruit name.
Usage tips
- For a person, poire is colloquial and can sound mildly insulting, unlike the neutral fruit sense.
Other meanings
- suckernoun
Related words
- poirierpear treenoun
- poiréperrynoun