A pear is a sweet fruit that grows on trees, shaped like a teardrop or light bulb: narrow at the stem and wider at the bottom. Pears have thin skin that can be green, yellow, brown, or reddish, and their flesh inside is soft, juicy, and slightly grainy. Unlike an apple, which you can bite into right away, a pear often needs a few days to ripen after you buy it. When perfectly ripe, a pear is wonderfully sweet and seems to melt in your mouth.

Pears have been grown for thousands of years, originally in Asia and Europe. Today, orchards grow many varieties: Bartlett pears turn yellow when ripe, Bosc pears have brown skin and a firmer texture that’s perfect for baking, and Anjou pears stay green even when ready to eat. You can eat pears fresh, slice them into salads, bake them in desserts, or preserve them as jam.

The word pear also describes anything shaped like the fruit. A pear-shaped diamond is wider at one end, and if something goes pear-shaped, it means a plan has gone wrong or fallen apart.