fig
English meaning: Fig
Definition
A fruit-bearing tree or shrub of the genus Ficus that is native mainly to the tropics.
Example
“She picked a ripe fig from the tree in the garden.”
Another example: “He doesn't care a fig what other people think of him.”
Usage — When, Where & How
Noun for the soft, sweet fruit or the tree that bears it; also informal for something worthless ('not give a fig'). 'Fig.' is the abbreviation for 'figure' in books and papers. Common in cooking, botany and the fixed idiom.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From Old French figue, from Latin ficus 'fig tree, fig', dating to the 13th century.
Synonyms
- figure
- common fig
- ficus carica
- common fig tree
Related Words
- ficus
- carica
- figs
- mutualism
- wasps
- parrot
- pomegranate
- banyan
- wasp
- interferometer
Common Collocations
- dried fig
- fig tree
- fig leaf
- fig newton
- not care a fig
- ripe fig
Word Forms
fig (n); figs
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B