pine·ap·ple / ˈpīˌnapəl/ • n. 1. a large juicy tropical fruit consisting of aromatic edible yellow flesh surrounded by a tough segmented skin and topped with a tuft of stiff leaves. 2. the widely cultivated tropical American plant (Ananas comosus, family Bromeliaceae) that bears this fruit. It is low-growing, with a spiral of spiny sword-shaped leaves on a thick stem. 3. inf. a hand grenade.

pineapple Tropical, herbaceous, perennial plant, cultivated in the USA, South America, Asia, Africa and Australia; also the fruit of the plant. The fruit is formed from the flowers and bracts and grows on top of a short, stout stem bearing stiff, fleshy leaves. The fruit is eaten fresh, tinned, or made into juice. Height: to 1.2m (4ft). Family Bromeliaceae; species Ananas comosus.

pineapple Fruit of the tropical plant Ananas sativus, one of the bromeliad family. The fruit contains the proteolytic enzyme bromelain, which has been used (like papain) to tenderize meat. A 100‐g portion is a rich source of vitamin C; a source of copper; provides 0.8 g of dietary fibre; supplies 30 kcal (125 kJ).

Ananas (family Bromeliaceae) A genus of plants in which the stem is short and leafy, trapping water in the overlapping leaf bases. Inflorescences are terminal, forming a compound structure in the fruit beyond which there develops a tuft of leaves. The pineapple is A. comosus. There are 8 species of terrestrial, tropical American habitats.

ananas See pineapple.