fruition

noun

fru·ition frü-ˈi-shən

Synonyms of fruition next

: pleasurable use or possession : enjoyment

the sweet fruition of an earthly crown—

Christopher Marlowe

: the state of bearing fruit

the fields needed rain for fruition—

Pearl Buck

: realization

Did you know?

Fruition must come from the word fruit, right? Not exactly—the apple falls a little further from the tree than one might think. Fruition and fruit are related (both ultimately come from the Latin verb frui, meaning "to enjoy"), but they came about independently. The original meaning of fruition had nothing to do with fruit. Rather, when the term was first used in the 15th century, it meant only "pleasurable use or possession," as when playwright and Shakespeare contemporary Christopher Marlowe wrote of "the sweet fruition of an earthly crown." Not until several centuries later did fruition develop a second meaning, "the state of bearing fruit," possibly as the result of a mistaken assumption that fruition evolved from fruit. The "state of bearing fruit" sense was followed quickly by the figurative application to anything that can be "realized" and metaphorically bear fruit, such as a plan or a project.

Examples of fruition in a Sentence

These were dreams of long standing that had finally come to fruition … —

Nicholas Fraser, Harper's, September 1996

Truth is a weapon so powerful that the slowness of its fruition matters little in the end. —

Edith Hamilton, New Yorker, 12 Sept. 1994

The ground thaws, the sap flows, then comes the leaf, the bud, the full flowering of national and individual entitlements, an unstoppable surge toward the glorious fruition promised by the idea of independence. —

Janette Turner Hospital, New York Times Book Review, 30 Dec. 1990

when she landed the lead in a Broadway play, a lifelong dream was brought to fruition

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Meanwhile, a Hardeeville assistant coach started recruiting players to a new team in Georgia, which never came to fruition. —

Kenny Jacoby, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024 Association spokespersons tell Axios the rapid-fire openings could be a product of timing — many restaurants take two to three years to come to fruition, and that cycle is converging now. —

Anna Spiegel, Axios, 11 Dec. 2024 The problem was that Su’s plans would take years to come to fruition. —

Billy Perrigo, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024 Such reports have emerged in the past and never come to fruition. —

Bruce Japsen, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fruition

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fruicioun, fruicion "use, enjoyment, joy felt in mystical communion with God," borrowed from Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French fruicion, fruition, borrowed from Late Latin fruitiōn-, fruitiō "use, enjoyment," from Latin fruor, fruī "to enjoy the produce or proceeds of, derive advantage from, be blessed with, derive pleasure from" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at fruit entry 1

Note: Sense 2 reflects reanalysis of the word as a process noun from fruit entry 1/fruit entry 2. This usage is not uncommon in the nineteenth century, but was slow to be recognized in dictionaries. Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language (1890) does not recognize it in its definition of fruition ("use or possession of anything, especially such as is accompanied with pleasure or satisfaction"), but nonetheless uses it in its definition of fruit as a verb: "to bear or produce fruit; to come to fruition." The Century Dictionary (1889-91) more or less accurately defines the new sense ("a coming into fruit or fulfilment; attainment of anything desired; realization of results"), while exemplifying it with quotes from seventeenth-century authors (Francis Quarles, Thomas Browne, James Howell) that illustrate only the traditional sense.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of fruition was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century