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Apple

1. The fleshy pome or fruit of a rosaceous tree (pyrus malus) cultivated in numberless varieties in the temperate zones.

The European crab apple is supposed to be the original kind, from which all others have sprung.

2. (Science: botany) Any tree genus pyrus which has the stalk sunken into the base of the fruit; an apple tree.

3. Any fruit or other vegetable production resembling, or supposed to resemble, the apple; as, apple of love, or love apple (a tomato), balsam apple, egg apple, oak apple.

4. Anything round like an apple; as, an apple of gold.

apple is used either adjectively or in combination; as, apple paper or apple-paper, apple-shaped, apple blossom, apple dumpling, apple pudding. Apple blight, an aphid which injures apple trees. See blight, apple borer, the larva of a small moth (Carpocapsa pomonella) which burrows in the interior of apples. See Codling moth. Dead sea apple. Apples of Sodom. Also fig. To seek the dead sea apples of politics. . A kind of gallnut coming from arabia. See gallnut.

Origin: oe. Appel, eppel, as. Aeppel, aepl; akin to Fries. & D. Appel, OHG, aphul, aphol, g. Apfel, Icel. Epli, Sw. Aple, dan. Aeble, gael. Ubhall, W. Afal, arm. Aval, lith. Oblys, Russ. Iabloko; of unknown origin.