Cherry
Cherry (cher"ry) , noun
[Old English chery, for cherys, from French cerise (compare Anglo-Saxon cyrs cherry), from Late Latin ceresia, from Latin cerasus Cherry tree, Greek keraso`s, perh. from ke`ras horn, from the hardness of the wood.]
1.
(Botany) A tree or shrub of the genus Prunus (Which also includes the plum) bearing a fleshy drupe with a bony stone;
(a)
(Botany) The common garden cherry (Prunus Cerasus), of which several hundred varieties are cultivated for the fruit, some of which are, the begarreau, blackheart, black Tartarian, oxheart, morelle or morello, May-duke (corrupted from Médoc in France).
(b)
(Botany) The wild cherry; as, Prunus serotina (wild black cherry), valued for its timber; Prunus Virginiana (choke cherry), an American shrub which bears astringent fruit; Prunus avium and Prunus Padus, European trees (bird cherry).
2.
The fruit of the cherry tree, a drupe of various colors and flavors.
3.
The timber of the cherry tree, esp. of the black cherry, used in cabinetmaking, etc.
4.
A peculiar shade of red, like that of a cherry.
Collocations (11)
Barbadoes cherry , See under Barbadoes.
Cherry bird (Zoology) , an American bird; the cedar bird; -- so called from its fondness for cherries.
Cherry bounce , cherry brandy and sugar.
Cherry brandy , brandy in which cherries have been steeped.
Cherry laurel (Botany) , an evergreen shrub (Prunus Lauro-cerasus) common in shrubberies, the poisonous leaves of which have a flavor like that of bitter almonds.
Cherry pepper (Botany) , a species of Capsicum (Capsicum cerasiforme), with small, scarlet, intensely piquant cherry-shaped fruit.
Cherry pit , (a) A child's play, in which cherries are thrown into a hole. — Shakespeare (b) A cherry stone.
Cherry rum , rum in which cherries have been steeped.
Cherry sucker (Zoology) , the European spotted flycatcher (Musicapa grisola); -- called also cherry chopper cherry snipe
Cherry tree , a tree that bears cherries.
Ground cherry or Winter cherry , See Alkekengi.
Cherry (cher"ry) , adjective
Like a red cherry in color; ruddy; blooming; as, a cherry lip; cherry cheeks.