Also 6–8 frutage, (7 -idge). [a. OF. fruitage, f. fruit FRUIT.]

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  1.  The process, season, or state of bearing fruit.

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1578.  J. Banister, The Historie of Man, VIII. 102. Then is to be descerned by trees and spredyng plantes: which onely florish in growyng, and frutage, but voyde of sense, sight, hearyng, tast, mouyng, and smellyng.

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1610.  W. Folkingham, Art of Survey, I. iii. 6. In Grouth, the thriuage, verdure, fruitage … &c., of particular Vegetables are regardable.

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1816.  Coleridge, Biog. Lit., Lay Serm., 317. A tree transplanted from Paradise, with all its branches in full fruitage.

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1871.  Lytton, Coming Race, xvii. Fruit-bearing plants after fruitage either shed or change the colour of their leaves.

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  fig.  1892.  Ch. Q. Rev., Jan., 444. Many have commented on the late fruitage of Swift’s genius.

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  2.  Fruit collectively; a crop of fruit.

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1610.  W. Folkingham, Art of Survey, I. vi. 13. What Trees, Plants, Shrubs: what Frutage, Mastage, Gummage.

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1613.  Chapman, Masque of Inns of Court, Plays, 1873, III. 117.

          Innocence a Crowne conferring;
Mine, and Thine, were then vnusde,
All things common: Nought abusde,
  Freely earth her fruitage bearing.

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1667.  Milton, P. L., X. 561. Greedily they pluck’d The Frutage fair to sight.

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1708.  J. Philips, Cyder, I. 3.

          Who-e’er expects his lab’ring Trees shou’d bend
With Fruitage, and a kindly Harvest yield.

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1808.  J. Barlow, The Columbiad, II. 215.

        The wide domain, with game and fruitage crown’d,
Supplied their food uncultured from the ground.

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1883.  Mrs. Rollins, New Eng. Bygones, 180. Much of the plumpest fruitage found its way into the hoards of thieving boys.

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  fig.  1652.  Benlowes, Theoph., IV. I. 58.

        When me THOU shalt impregn’d with Vertues make
A fruitful Eden, all the Frutage take!

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1749.  Smollett, Regicide, IV. iii. I come … To claim the promis’d fruitage of my love.

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1883.  S. C. Hall, Retrospect, II. 38–9. It was at Grasmere that poor Hartley Coleridge sinned and repented, repented and sinned; unhappy victim of a passion irresistible; dying a self-inflicted death (for alcohol is no less a poison than prussic acid), when his genius was yet in the bud—with the promise of glorious fruitage.

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  † b.  pl. Various sorts of fruit. Obs.

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a. 1693.  Urquhart, Rabelais, III. xiii. 110. Men do more copiously in the Season of Harvest feed on Fruitages then at any other time.

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  c.  transf. Offspring. rare1.

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1850.  Blackie, Æschylus, I. 195. Yet should she By her own body’s fruitage have been slain?

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  † 3.  A decorative arrangement of fruits; a representation of this in embroidery, painting, carving, etc. Obs.

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1600.  Q. Eliz. Wardr., in Nichols, Progr. (1823), III. 509. One peticoate … with a verie faire border of pomegranetts, pyne aple trees, frutidge.

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1604.  Dekker, King’s Entertainm., Wks. 1873, I. 309. Pomona, the goddesse of garden fruits; fate at the one side of Gold and Siluer; attirde in greene, a wreath of frutages circling her temples: her armes naked: her haire beautifull, and long.

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1645.  Evelyn, Diary, 29 Jan. The vines, climbing to the summit of the trees, reach in festoons and fruitages from one tree to another.

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1688.  R. Holme, Armoury, II. 115/2. Fruitage, is the hanging of several sorts of Fruit together in husks with strings.

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c. 1710.  C. Fiennes, Diary (1888), 238. There is alsoe the most Exactest workmanship in ye wood Carving, which is as the painting the pattern and masterpiece of all such work, both in figures, fruitages, beasts, birds, flowers, all sorts, soe thinn ye wood, and all white natural wood without varnish.

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1719.  London & Wise, The Complete Gard’ner, III. 37. Can any thing be more delightful, than to behold an ample Square (in a benign Aspect) tapestred and adorn’d with such a glorious Embroidery of Festoons, and Frutages, depending from the yielding Boughs, pregnant with their Offspring, and pouring forth their Plenty and Store, as out of so many Amalthean Horns?

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  Hence Fruitaged ppl. a., abounding in fruitage.

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1846.  C. G. Prowett, Æschylus’ Prometh. Bound, 22. Flowery spring Or fruitaged summer.

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