A pear is a sweet fruit that is wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, with soft flesh and many small seeds in the center. It can be eaten raw, cooked, or canned.
“Pear” comes from Old English *pere*, from Latin *pirum*, meaning “pear.” The word has changed very little in form or meaning over many centuries.
The pear’s shape is so distinctive that we use it as a basic shape word, like “pear-shaped body.” In British English, when something “goes pear-shaped,” it means it goes wrong—maybe because a neat plan ‘bulges out’ into a mess. A simple fruit ended up shaping our metaphors too.
“Pear-shaped” has been used disparagingly to describe women’s bodies, reinforcing narrow beauty standards and body-shaming. The fruit itself is neutral, but body-related metaphors have gendered implications.
Use “pear” literally for the fruit; avoid using “pear-shaped” to mock body types. If using “pear-shaped” in its other idiomatic sense (“gone wrong”), be aware that some may still hear a body-based echo.
["went wrong","got messed up","failed"]
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