Pear vs. Pearl — What's the Difference?

Can be canned, juiced, or dried for various culinary uses.

A lustrous gem formed inside the shell of a mollusk.

Grown on trees, pears are a popular choice for fresh eating and baking.

The quality of pearls is judged by their luster, size, and shape.

Pears are rich in dietary fiber and vitamin C.

Pearls are valued in jewelry for their beauty and rarity.

A sweet, juicy fruit with a rounded base and tapering top.

Can be natural or cultured, with cultured pearls being more common.

Varieties include Bartlett, Anjou, and Bosc, each with distinct flavors.

Historically symbolizes purity and wealth.

Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in late Summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus Pyrus , in the family Rosaceae, bearing the pomaceous fruit of the same name.

A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carbonate (mainly aragonite or a mixture of aragonite and calcite) in minute crystalline form, which has deposited in concentric layers.

A sweet yellowish- or brownish-green edible fruit that is typically narrow at the stalk and wider towards the base, with sweet, slightly gritty flesh.

A hard, lustrous spherical mass, typically white or bluish-grey, formed within the shell of a pearl oyster or other bivalve mollusc and highly prized as a gem

The Eurasian tree which bears the pear.

A person or thing of great worth

Any of several trees of the genus Pyrus in the rose family, having glossy leaves and white flowers, especially P. communis, widely cultivated for its edible fruit.

Another term for picot

The fruit of any of these trees, having gritty, juicy flesh and usually a shape that is spherical at the base and tapering toward the stalk.

Form drops resembling pearls

An edible fruit produced by the pear tree, similar to an apple but typically elongated towards the stem.

Dive or fish for pearl oysters

A type of fruit tree (Pyrus communis).

A smooth, lustrous, variously colored mass, chiefly of calcium carbonate, formed around a grain of sand or other foreign matter inside the shell of certain bivalve mollusks and valued as a gem.

The wood of the pear tree (pearwood, pear wood).

A bead resembling one of these masses.

Choke pear (a torture device).

Something small and spherical in shape

(Jamaica) avocado, alligator pear

Mother-of-pearl; nacre.

A desaturated chartreuse yellow colour, like that of a pear.

One that is highly regarded for its beauty or value.

The fleshy pome, or fruit, of a rosaceous tree (Pyrus communis), cultivated in many varieties in temperate climates; also, the tree which bears this fruit. See Pear family, below.

(Printing) A type size measuring approximately five points.

Sweet juicy gritty-textured fruit available in many varieties

A yellowish white.

Old World tree having sweet gritty-textured juicy fruit; widely cultivated in many varieties

To decorate or cover with pearls or beads resembling pearls.

To make into the shape or color of pearls.

To dive or fish for pearls or pearl-bearing mollusks.

To form beads resembling pearls.

Variant of purl2.

A shelly concretion, usually rounded, and having a brilliant luster, with varying tints, found in the mantle, or between the mantle and shell, of certain bivalve mollusks, especially in the pearl oysters and river mussels, and sometimes in certain univalves. It is usually due to a secretion of shelly substance around some irritating foreign particle. Its substance is the same as nacre, or mother-of-pearl. Round lustrous pearls are used in jewellery.

(figuratively) Something precious.

A capsule of gelatin or similar substance containing liquid for e.g. medicinal application.

Nacre, or mother-of-pearl.

A whitish speck or film on the eye.

A fish allied to the turbot; the brill.

A light-colored tern.

One of the circle of tubercles which form the bur on a deer's antler.

The size of type between diamond and agate, standardized as 5-point.

A fringe or border.

(obsolete) A jewel or gem.

(figurative) A valuable little nugget of information; especially, an aphorism or tip#Etymology 5 that is operationally useful for decision-making.

The clitoris.

To set or adorn with pearls, or with mother-of-pearl.

(transitive) To cause to resemble pearls in shape; to make into small round grains.

(transitive) To cause to resemble pearls in lustre or iridescence.

(intransitive) To resemble pearl or pearls.

(intransitive) To hunt for pearls

To sink the nose of one's surfboard into the water, often on takeoff.

Of the nose of the surfboard: to sink in this manner.

A fringe or border.

A shelly concretion, usually rounded, and having a brilliant luster, with varying tints, found in the mantle, or between the mantle and shell, of certain bivalve mollusks, especially in the pearl oysters and river mussels, and sometimes in certain univalves. It is usually due to a secretion of shelly substance around some irritating foreign particle. Its substance is the same as nacre, or mother-of-pearl.

Hence, figuratively, something resembling a pearl; something very precious.

Nacre, or mother-of-pearl.

A fish allied to the turbot; the brill.

A light-colored tern.

One of the circle of tubercles which form the bur on a deer's antler.

A whitish speck or film on the eye.

A capsule of gelatin or similar substance containing some liquid for medicinal application, as ether.

A size of type, between agate and diamond.

Of or pertaining to pearl or pearls; made of pearls, or of mother-of-pearl.

To set or adorn with pearls, or with mother-of-pearl. Used also figuratively.

To cause to resemble pearls; to make into small round grains; as, to pearl barley.

To resemble pearl or pearls.

To dive or hunt for pearls; as, to go pearling.

A smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel

A shade of white the color of bleached bones

A shape that is small and round;

Gather pearls, from oysters in the ocean

No, pearls can come in various colors, including white, black, pink, and golden, depending on the type of mollusk and its environment.

A pear is a sweet, bell-shaped fruit that grows on trees, known for its juicy texture.

Pearls are formed inside the soft tissue of mollusks as a response to irritants, naturally or through human intervention.

Yes, pears are commonly eaten raw and are prized for their sweet, juicy flesh.

The flesh of the pear is edible, though some people choose to remove the skin and core.

Pearls are valuable due to their rarity, the time it takes to form them, and their use in fine jewelry.

Pears are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, and various antioxidants.

The value of a pearl is determined by its luster, color, size, and shape, with round, lustrous pearls being the most prized.

Pear trees can take several years to mature and start producing fruit, typically 3 to 5 years after planting.

Cultured pearls are made by inserting a small bead or piece of tissue into a mollusk, prompting it to form a pearl.

Pearl quality is assessed based on its size, shape, color, surface quality, and luster.

Pears can be used in a variety of dishes, from salads and desserts to sauces and baked goods.

Yes, pearls are delicate and require careful handling to maintain their luster and prevent damage.

Natural pearls form without human intervention, while cultured pearls are created by deliberately inserting an irritant into a mollusk.

Pears are adaptable but grow best in temperate climates.