ananas

ananas — noun

1. a scientific group of tropical plants from warm regions of the Americas, with lo

1.nounC2
Definition

a scientific group of tropical plants from warm regions of the Americas, with long sword-shaped leaves growing from the base and a large fruit made of many tiny fruits fused together

Example

Botanist Deepa identified three species of Ananas growing in the Peruvian forest reserve.

Ananas

The Ananas genus includes both the farmed pineapple and several wild relatives native to Brazil.

Ananas genus

Common collocations
  • Ananas genus
  • Ananas species
  • wild Ananas
Synonyms
  • pineapple

    common name for the fruit and plant of Ananas comosus

  • bromeliad

    broader term for any plant in the Bromeliaceae family

Grammar Patterns

Ananas + verb

Usage Note

In scientific writing, Ananas is always capitalised because it is a genus name. In everyday English, this word is very rare; most people use 'pineapple' for the fruit and 'bromeliad' for related plants.

Common Mistakes

I bought an ananas at the supermarket.
I bought a pineapple at the supermarket.
In English, the everyday word for the fruit is 'pineapple'; 'ananas' sounds unnatural in casual conversation.

2. any plant belonging to the bromeliad family, which has stiff leaves arranged in

2.nounC1
Definition

any plant belonging to the bromeliad family, which has stiff leaves arranged in a circle from the base and often grows on trees or rocks in warm, wet climates

Example

Mei grows several ananas plants in her greenhouse, including one with bright red flower spikes.

several ananas plants

The garden shop sold small ananas varieties that can survive indoors without direct sun.

ananas varieties

Common collocations
  • ananas plant
  • ananas variety
  • wild ananas
Synonyms
  • bromeliad

    the standard English term for any plant in the Bromeliaceae family

Grammar Patterns

ananas + verb

ananas + noun

Usage Note

When used loosely, 'ananas' can refer to any bromeliad. This usage is mostly found in botanical gardening and horticulture, not in everyday speech.

Common Mistakes

I have an ananas on my desk at work.
I have a bromeliad on my desk at work.
For houseplants that are not pineapples, 'bromeliad' is the clearer, more common word.

3. a large tropical fruit with a rough, orange-brown skin and a crown of stiff gree

3.nounB2
Definition

a large tropical fruit with a rough, orange-brown skin and a crown of stiff green leaves on top, which is sweet and yellow inside; also the plant that produces this fruit

Example

Isabella bought a ripe ananas at the market to make fruit salad for the dinner party.

a ripe ananas

The chef sliced the ananas and grilled the golden rings until they were slightly caramelised.

Common collocations
  • ripe ananas
  • ananas chunks
  • ananas slices
  • ananas juice
  • ananas sapling
Synonyms
  • pineapple

    the standard everyday English word for the fruit and the plant

Grammar Patterns

ananas + noun (as modifier)

Usage Note

Although 'ananas' is the botanical name and the word used for pineapple in many other languages, American and British English strongly prefer 'pineapple' in all everyday situations. 'Ananas' appears mainly in international food labelling, botanical writing, and when listing tropical produce in multilingual contexts.

Common Mistakes

Would you like some ananas juice?
Would you like some pineapple juice?
Use 'pineapple' in ordinary English conversation.

4. a tropical American plant with long, sharp-edged leaves and a small, sour fruit

4.nounC2
Definition

a tropical American plant with long, sharp-edged leaves and a small, sour fruit that tastes similar to pineapple, also known as pinguin or wild pineapple

Example

Diego found ananas pinguin growing wild along the sandy coastal path in southern Mexico.

ananas pinguin

The pinguin produces a small, sharp-tasting fruit that local families use in summer drinks.

Common collocations
  • ananas pinguin
  • pinguin fruit
  • pinguin leaves
  • wild pinguin
Synonyms
  • pinguin

    the common name for Ananas bracteatus

  • wild pineapple

    informal name for certain wild species in the Ananas genus

Usage Note

'Ananas' in this sense refers specifically to Ananas bracteatus or related wild species, often called 'pinguin' or 'wild pineapple'. This is very specialised vocabulary found only in botanical descriptions.

Word family

  • bromeliad
    nounC1
  • bromeliaceous
    adjectiveC2
  • pineapple
    nounA2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/3

In English, 'pineapple' is the everyday word for the sweet tropical fruit, while 'ananas' is the botanical genus name and the term used for the fruit in many other languages. A Taiwanese learner who uses 'ananas' in casual English conversation will sound unnatural or overly scientific — for example, saying 'I bought an ananas' instead of 'I bought a pineapple' marks the speaker as non-native. 'Bromeliad' is even broader: it refers to any plant in the Bromeliaceae family, not just pineapples. In botanical writing, 'Ananas' (capitalised) is correct for the genus, but in a supermarket or kitchen, always choose 'pineapple'.

ananas ↗pineapple ↗bromeliad

Common collocations

Phrases

  • ananas genus / species (scientific)
  • ananas plant (horticultural)
  • canned ananas (food labelling)
  • ananas slices / chunks / juice (food labelling)

Etymology

TupiPortugueseFrenchEnglish

The word 'ananas' comes from the Tupi word naná, meaning 'excellent fruit,' carried into European languages by Portuguese and Spanish explorers in the 16th century. English borrowed it via French (ananas) or directly from Portuguese (ananás), but by the 17th century, 'pineapple' — originally a term for pine cones — had become the dominant English name because of the fruit's visual resemblance to a pine cone. Today, 'ananas' survives in English mostly as a botanical genus name and in international food labelling.