cherry

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: Cher=ry

CIDE DICTIONARY

cherry, n. [OE. chery, for cherys, fr. F. cerise (cf. AS. cyrs cherry), fr. LL. ceresia, fr. L. cerasus Cherry tree, Gr. keraso`s, perh. fr. ke`ras horn, from the hardness of the wood.].

•  A tree or shrub of the genus Prunus (Which also includes the plum) bearing a fleshy drupe with a bony stone;  [1913 Webster]
•  The fruit of the cherry tree, a drupe of various colors and flavors.  [1913 Webster]
•  The timber of the cherry tree, esp. of the black cherry, used in cabinetmaking, etc.  [1913 Webster]
•  A peculiar shade of red, like that of a cherry.  [1913 Webster]

Barbadoes cherry. See under Barbadoes. -- Cherry bird (Zoöl.), 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 (Bot.), an evergreen shrub (Prunus Lauro-cerasus) common in shrubberies, the poisonous leaves of which have a flavor like that of bitter almonds. -- Cherry pepper (Bot.), 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. Shak. (b) A cherry stone. -- Cherry rum, rum in which cherries have been steeped. -- Cherry sucker (Zoöl.), the European spotted flycatcher (Musicapa grisola); -- called also cherry chopper cherry snipe. -- Cherry tree, a tree that bears cherries. -- Ground cherry, Winter cherry, See Alkekengi.

cherry, a. 

 Like a red cherry in color; ruddy; blooming; as, a cherry lip; cherry cheeks.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

cherry, n. & adj.
--n. (pl. -ies)
1 a a small soft round stone-fruit. b any of several trees of the genus Prunus bearing this or grown for its ornamental flowers.
2 (in full cherry wood) the wood of a cherry.
3 US sl. a virginity. b a virgin.
--adj. of a light red colour.

Idiom

cherry brandy a dark-red liqueur of brandy in which cherries have been steeped. cherry-laurel Brit. a small evergreen tree, Prunus laurocerasus, with white flowers and cherry-like fruits. cherry-picker colloq. a crane for raising and lowering people. cherry-pie
1 a pie made with cherries.
2 a garden heliotrope.
cherry plum
1 a tree, Prunus cerasifera, native to SW Asia, with solitary white flowers and red fruits.
2 the fruit of this tree. cherry tomato a miniature tomato with a strong flavour.

Etymology

ME f. ONF cherise (taken as pl.: cf. PEA) f. med.L ceresia perh. f. L f. Gk kerasos

ROGET THESAURUS

cherry

Purity

N purity, decency, decorum, delicacy, continence, chastity, honesty, virtue, modesty, shame, pudicity, pucelage, virginity, vestal, virgin, Joseph, Hippolytus, Lucretia, Diana, prude, pure, undefiled, modest, delicate, decent, decorous, virginibus puerisque, simon-pure, chaste, continent, virtuous, honest, Platonic, virgin, unsullied, cherry, as chaste as unsunn'd snow, a soul as white as heaven, 'tis Chastity, my brother, Chastity, to the pure all things are pure.