How did the pineapple get its name ?

Question

How did the pineapple get its name ?

Answer 1

People thought it looked like a pine cone, which was originally called a pineapple.

Answer 2

1398, "pine cone," from pine (n.) + apple. The reference to the fruit of the tropical plant (from resemblance of shape) is first recorded 1664, and pine cone emerged 1695 to replace pineapple in its original sense. For "pine cone," O.E. also used pinhnyte "pine nut."

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term...

Middle English pinappel, pine cone : pine, pine; see pine1 + appel, apple;

Food Lover's Companion: pineapple

This tropical beauty received its appellation from the English because of its resemblance to the pine cone. Most other Europeans call it ananas derived from the Paraguayan nana meaning "excellent (or exquisite) fruit." The pineapple is native to Central and South America, where symbolic representations of its form were found in pre-Incan ruins. Hawaii, now this fruit's leading producer, didn't see its first pineapple until the late 1700s. For centuries the pineapple (in the form of carved wood, stone sculptures and the like) has been used to symbolize hospitality. The two major varieties found commercially in the United States are the Cayenne (from Hawaii) and the Red Spanish (mainly from Florida and Puerto Rico). The Cayenne pineapple, the longer and more cylindrical of the two, has a golden-yellow skin and long, swordlike leaves sprouting from a single tuft. The Red Spanish pineapple is squatter in shape, has a reddish golden-brown skin and leaves that radiate from several tufts. Mexico grows a third variety called the Sugar Loaf, a large, exquisitely flavored specimen whose skin is still green when ripe.

http://www.answers.com/pineapple

Answer 3

from the pine tree

and the apple

Answer 4

It was named for it's similarity in appearance to the pine cone named by european explorers in 1664

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineapple