proverb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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rhymes with -eɪ
1
proverb
Meaning 1
Apples are healthy and stave off illnesses.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
proverb
Meaning 2
Healthy eating prevents illness.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Of British origin; a similar proverb was recorded from Pembrokeshire, Wales, in 1866: “Eat an apple on going to bed, / And you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.” However, the idea that apples can cure disease is much older. In the play The Soddered Citizen (first performed c. 1631–1633) by the English author John Clavell (1601–1643), it is suggested that if a person who had heartburn had taken an apple and gone to bed, he would have been cured.
Across languages
Translations
31 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
تُفَّاحَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ فِي الْيَوْمِ تُغْنِيكَ عَنْ زِيَارَةِ الطَّبِيبِ
(tuffāḥatun wāḥidatun fī l-yawmi tuḡnīka ʕan ziyārati ṭ-ṭabībi)
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Chinese Cantonese:
一日一蘋果,醫生遠離我 /一日一苹果
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Chinese Cantonese:
医生远离我
(jat1 jat6 jat1 ping4 gwo2, ji1 sang1 jyun5 lei4 ngo5)
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Chinese Mandarin:
一日一蘋果,醫生遠離我 /一日一苹果
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Chinese Mandarin:
医生远离我
(yīrì yī píngguǒ, yīshēng yuǎnlí wǒ)
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Chinese Mandarin:
每日一蘋果,醫生遠離我 /每日一苹果
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Chinese Mandarin:
医生远离我
(měirì yī píngguǒ, yīshēng yuǎnlí wǒ)
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Danish:
et æble om dagen holder doktoren borte
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Esperanto:
pomo ĉiun tagon forturnas malsanon
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Finnish:
omena päivässä pitää lääkärin loitolla
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
French:
une pomme chaque matin éloigne le médecin
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
French:
chaque jour une pomme conserve son homme
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
German:
ein Apfel pro Tag hält den Doktor fern
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Greek:
ένα μήλο την ημέρα, τον γιατρό τον κάνει πέρα
(éna mílo tin iméra, ton giatró ton kánei péra)
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Hebrew:
קח פרי ותהיה לי בריא
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Hebrew:
תפוח ביום מרחיק את הרופא האיום
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Hebrew:
תפוח ביום ולרופא תגיד שלום
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Hungarian:
minden nap egy alma az orvost távol tartja
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Icelandic:
epli á dag kemur heilsunni í lag
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Italian:
una mela al giorno toglie il medico di torno
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Italian:
una mela al giorno leva il medico di torno
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Japanese:
一日一個のりんごで医者しらず
(ichinichi ikko no ringo de isha shirazu)
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Malay:
ماکن سبيجي ايڤل سهاري, تق ڤرلو برجومڤا دڠن دوکتور لاݢي
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Malay:
makan sebiji epal sehari, tak perlu berjumpa dengan doktor lagi
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Portuguese:
uma maçã por dia traz saúde e alegria
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Slovene:
eno jabolko na dan, odžene zdravnika stran
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Spanish:
una manzana al día mantiene al médico en la lejanía
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Swedish:
ett äpple om dagen håller doktorn borta
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Turkish:
güneş giren eve doktor girmez
— apples are healthy and stave off illnesses
Finnish:
omena päivässä pitää lääkärin loitolla
— healthy eating prevents illness
Finnish:
omena päivässä pitää lääkärin loitolla
— healthy habits stave off problems