= Multiple fruit
A <multiple fruit> is a collective fruiting structure derived from more than one <flower> in an <inflorescence>. The developing individual <fruits> and associated parts form one apparent unit. A <pineapple> makes the idea tangible: several floral <ovary (botany)>[ovaries] contribute to the structure commonly handled as one <fruit>.<Multiple fruit in the New York Botanical Garden French Guianan E-Flora glossary>[Definition and pineapple photograph description]{ref}
The crucial developmental count is the number of original <flowers>. An <aggregate fruit> derives from several separate <carpels> of one <flower>; a <multiple fruit> involves several <flowers>. A large number of <seeds> alone establishes neither category. One <ovary (botany)> can contain many <ovules>, and a fruiting structure can develop without mature <seeds>.<Glossary of Botanical Terms by PlantNET>[Entries multiple fruit and aggregate fruit; Figure18V–Z]{ref}
Imagine marking three adjacent <flowers> in an <inflorescence> and tracing their <ovary (botany)>[ovaries] through development. If their fruiting products join a single apparent mass, the labels still record three floral origins. Cutting the mature mass into three pieces does not reverse that history: classification follows development rather than serving size.
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