果实(fruit)
显花植物中的子房发育而成的器官，肉质或乾燥，内含种子。果实是一个严格的植物学定义，因此，杏、香蕉、葡萄，以及豆荚、谷粒、番茄、黄瓜、带壳的橡树子、扁桃等都是果实。但按通俗的说法，英语中fruit一词仅指从子房发育成的味甜肉质的器官（水果）。果实主要的植物学目的是保护并散步种子。果实可分为两大类，肉果包括：浆果，如番茄、柑、樱桃等，全部果皮及附属部分均为肉质；聚合果，如黑莓、草莓等，由一朵花内的许多雌蕊发育而成，每枝雌蕊发育为一个小果；聚花果，如菠萝、桑，由整个花序中各花的子房发育而成。乾果包括荚果、颖果、蒴果、坚果等。果实是纤维素和维生素（尤其是维生素C）最重要的来源。果实可以鲜吃；可制果汁、果酱及果冻；或以脱水、罐装、速冻及腌渍贮藏。
English version：
fruit
In its strict botanical sense, the fleshy or dry ripened ovary (enlarged portion of the pistil) of a flowering plant, enclosing the seed or seeds. Apricots, bananas, and grapes, as well as bean pods, corn grains, tomatoes, cucumbers, and (in their shells) acorns and almonds, are all technically fruits. Popularly, the term is restricted to the ripened ovaries that are sweet and either succulent or pulpy. The principal botanical purpose of the fruit is to protect and spread the seed. There are two broad categories of fruit: fleshy and dry. Fleshy fruits include berries, such as tomatoes, oranges, and cherries, which consist entirely of succulent tissue; aggregate fruits, including blackberries and strawberries, which form from a single flower with many pistils, each of which develops into fruitlets; and multiple fruits, such as pineapples and mulberries, which develop from the mature ovaries of an entire inflorescence. Dry fruits include the legumes, cereal grains, capsules, and nuts. Fruits are important sources of dietary fiber and vitamins (especially vitamin C). They can be eaten fresh; processed into juices, jams, and jellies; or preserved by dehydration, canning, fermentation, and pickling.
