English

Noun

punnet ‎(plural punnets)

1. (Britain, Australia, New Zealand) A small basket or receptacle for collecting and selling fruit, particularly strawberries.
   • 1904, Arthur George Liddon Rogers, The Business Side of Agriculture, 2010, Forgotten Books, page 85:

     Thus, according to the same Year-Book, a sea-kale punnet measures 8 in. in diameter at the top and 7½ in. at the bottom, being 2 in. deep, while a radish punnet is 8 in. in diameter and 1 in. deep, if to hold six “hands,” or 9 in. by 1 in. for twelve “hands.” A mushroom punnet is 7 in. by 1 in., while a salading punnet is 5 in. by 2 in.

   • 1917, Stevenson Whitcomb Fletcher, The Strawberry in North America: History, Origin, Botany, and Breeding, pages 77-78:

     Another type of splint basket, called a punnet, was used in the strawberry trade of New York City between 1815 and 1850. […] Punnets and pottles found little favor except in the vicinity of Boston and New York and were soon discarded for more convenient and less expensive packages.

   • 1933, South Australian Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Journal of Agriculture, South Australia, Volume 36, page 1292:

     Most of the fruit for market is picked and sold in punnets, but for jam making buckets are used, similar to the raspberry bucket.

   • 1982, New Zealand Department of Agriculture, New Zealand journal of agriculture, page 13:

     Early this season, Ross Lill got together with a plastics firm to produce a flat tray to replace the commonly used punnet.

   • 2005, Don Burke, The Complete Burke's Backyard: The Ultimate Book of Fact Sheets, page 408:

     However we recommend, particularly in cooler climates, sowing tomato seeds into a seed tray or punnet and allowing the seedlings to grow before they are transplanted into the garden.

   • 2007 May 13, Amelia Hill, The Guardian, Forget superfoods, you can′t beat an apple a day:

     ‘But rather than spend £5 on a small punnet of exotic berries, a family would be better off buying regular and larger quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables from their local market. […] ’

Synonyms

• (receptacle for strawberries): chip (northern New Zealand), pottle (British, southern New Zealand)

Translations