Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pearmain

/ˈpɛːmeɪn/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.23 in modern English

Syllables: pear-main
IPA: /ˈpɛːmeɪn/

12

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A type of pear.

Obsolete

noun

Any of various types of apple, having an elongated shape and often with streaky skin.

name

Example Sentences

"Sweet fruits are best, as sweet cherries, plums, sweet apples, pearmains, and pippins, which Laurentius extols as having a peculiar property against this disease […]."
"1826 June 30, Thomas Greene Fessenden (editor), The New England Farmer, Volume 4 [July 1825—July 1826], page 385, If it were not so, why, for instance, has not the pearmain — a better apple than the Baldwin or any other Massachusetts winter apple now known to me — been propagated as extensively, and brought in plenty to our markets?"
"Apples: Drap d'or, Barcelona pearmain;[…]."

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman parmain, peremain et al., Middle French parmain, permain (“type of pear or apple”), of uncertain origin.

Origin

Source language: Middle French

Word Breakdown

Root: parmain

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /ˈpɛːmeɪn/

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

pearmains (plural)

Questions

How do you pronounce pearmain?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɛːmeɪn/.
What does pearmain mean?: A type of pear.
Where does pearmain come from?: It is traced to Middle French.

How to pronounce pearmain

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “pearmain”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpɛːmeɪn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “pearmain”.
Repeat and practice — Say “pearmain” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.