Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Plum
1.
(Bot.)
The edible drupaceous fruit of the
Prunus domestica
, and of several other species of Prunus
; also, the tree itself, usually called plum tree
. The bullace, the damson, and the numerous varieties of
plum
, of our gardens, although growing into thornless trees, are believed to be varieties of the blackthorn, produced by long cultivation. G. Bentham.
☞ Two or three hundred varieties of plums derived from the
Prunus domestica
are described; among them the greengage
, the Orleans
, the purple gage
, or Reine Claude Violette
, and the German prune
, are some of the best known. ☞ Among the true plums are;
Among plants called plum, but of other genera than Beach plum
, the Prunus maritima
, and its crimson or purple globular drupes, – Bullace plum
. See Bullace
. – Chickasaw plum
, the American Prunus Chicasa
, and its round red drupes. – Orleans plum
, a dark reddish purple plum of medium size, much grown in England for sale in the markets. – Wild plum of America
, Prunus Americana
, with red or yellow fruit, the original of the Iowa plum
and several other varieties.Prunus
, are; Australian plum
, Cargillia arborea
and Cargillia australis
, of the same family with the persimmon. – Blood plum
, the West African Hæmatostaphes Barteri
. – Cocoa plum
, the Spanish nectarine. See under Nectarine
. – Date plum
. See under Date
. – Gingerbread plum
, the West African Parinarium macrophyllum
. – Gopher plum
, the Ogeechee lime. – Gray plum
, Guinea plum
Guinea
. – Indian plum
, several species of Flacourtia
.2.
A grape dried in the sun; a raisin.
3.
A handsome fortune or property; formerly, in cant language, the sum of £100,000 sterling; also, the person possessing it.
Plum bird
,
Plum budder
(Zool.)
, the European bullfinch.
– Plum gouger
(Zool.)
, a weevil, or curculio (
– Coccotorus scutellaris
), which destroys plums. It makes round holes in the pulp, for the reception of its eggs. The larva bores into the stone and eats the kernel. Plum weevil
(Zool.)
, an American weevil which is very destructive to plums, nectarines, cherries, and many other stone fruits. It lays its eggs in crescent-shaped incisions made with its jaws. The larva lives upon the pulp around the stone. Called also
turk
, and plum curculio
. See Illust. under Curculio
.Webster 1828 Edition
Plum
PLUM
, n.1.
The fruit of a tree belonging to the genus Prunus. The fruit is a drupe, containing a nut or stone with prominent sutures and inclosing a kernel. The varieties of the plum are numerous and well known.2.
A grape dried in the sun; a raisin.3.
The sum of f100,000 sterling.4.
A kind of play.[Dr. Johnson remarks that this word is often written improperly plumb. This is true, not only of this word, but of all words in which b follows m, as in thumb, dumb, &c.]
Definition 2024
plum
plum
See also: plüm
English
Noun
A plum growing on a plum tree.
plum (plural plums)
- The edible, fleshy stone fruit of Prunus domestica, often of a dark red or purple colour.
- The stone-fruit tree which bears this fruit, Prunus domestica.
- A dark bluish-red color/colour, the colour of some plums.
-
plum colour: -
web plum colour:
-
- A desirable thing.
- (archaic) A handsome fortune or property; formerly, in cant language, the sum of £100,000 sterling, or a person possessing it.
- (dated) A good or choice thing of its kind, as among appointments, positions, parts of a book, etc.
- The mayor rewarded his cronies with cushy plums, requiring little work for handsome pay.
- A raisin, when used in a pudding or cake.
- (pejorative) A fool, idiot.
- (slang, chiefly in the plural) A testicle.
- The edible, fleshy stone fruit of several species sharing Prunus subg. Prunus with Prunus domestica including, among others:
- Prunus sect. Prunus
- Prunus cerasifera, the cherry plum or myrobalan
- Prunus salicina the Chinese plum or Japanese plum
- Prunus spinosa, the sloe
- Prunus ursina the bear's plum
- Prunus sect. Prunocerasus North American plums
- Prunus americana, the American plum
- Prunus angustifolia, the Chickasaw plum or sandhill plum
- Prunus hortulana, the hortulan plum
- Prunus nigra, the Canadian plum or black plum
- Prunus rivularis, the creek plum or hog plum
- Prunus subcordata, the Klamath plum or Oregon plum
- Prunus sect. Armeniaca (better known as apricots)
- Prunus mume, an Asian fruit more closely related to the apricot than the plum, usually consumed pickled, dried, or as a juice or wine; ume.
- Prunus sect. Prunus
- The stone-fruit trees which bear these fruits.
- The fruits of many unrelated trees and shrubs with fruit perceived to resemble plums
- The trees and shrubs bearing those fruits
Synonyms
Derived terms
derived terms (types of fruit trees associated with places)
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other derived terms
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Translations
the fruit
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the tree
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the colour
a desirable thing
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(slang) testicle
edible, fleshy stone of Prunus mume
Adjective
plum (comparative more plum, superlative most plum)
- (comparable) Of a dark bluish-red colour.
- (not comparable) Choice; especially lavish or preferred.
- She landed a plum position as an executive for the firm.
Translations
colour
See also
Etymology 2
Phonetically based spelling of plumb.
Adjective
plum (comparative more plum, superlative most plum)
Adverb
plum (not comparable)
- Completely; utterly.
- You're going to think I'm plum crazy for this, but I want to adopt all seven kittens.
Translations
completely; utterly
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Verb
plum (third-person singular simple present plums, present participle plumming, simple past and past participle plummed)
- (mining) To plumb.