Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Currant
Cur′rant
(k?r′rant)
, Noun.
[F.
corinthe
(raisins de Corinthe
raisins of Corinth) currant (in sense 1), from the city of Corinth
in Greece, whence, probably, the small dried grape (1) was first imported, the Ribes
fruit (2) receiving the name from its resemblance to that grape.] 1.
A small kind of seedless raisin, imported from the Levant, chiefly from Zante and Cephalonia; – used in cookery.
2.
The acid fruit or berry of the
Ribes rubrum
or common red currant, or of its variety, the white currant. 3.
(Bot.)
A shrub or bush of several species of the genus
Ribes
(a genus also including the gooseberry); esp., the Ribes rubrum
. Black currant
,a shrub or bush (
– Ribes nigrum
and Ribes floridum
) and its black, strong-flavored, tonic fruit. Cherry currant
, a variety of the red currant, having a strong, symmetrical bush and a very large berry.
– Currant borer
(Zool.)
, the larva of an insect that bores into the pith and kills currant bushes; specif., the larvae of a small clearwing moth (
– Ægeria tipuliformis
) and a longicorn beetle (Psenocerus supernotatus
). Currant worm
(Zool.)
, an insect larva which eats the leaves or fruit of the currant. The most injurious are the currant sawfly (
– Nematus ventricosus
), introduced from Europe, and the spanworm (Eufitchia ribearia
). The fruit worms are the larva of a fly (Epochra Canadensis
), and a spanworm (Eupithecia
). Flowering currant
, Missouri currant
a species of
Ribes
(Ribes aureum
), having showy yellow flowers.Webster 1828 Edition
Currant
CURRANT
,Noun.
1.
The fruit of a well known shrub belonging to the genus Ribes, of which Grossularia is now considered a species; the grossberry or gooseberry and the currant falling under the same genus. Currants are of various species and varieties; as the common red and white currants, and the black currant.2.
A small kind of dried grape, imported from the Levant, chiefly from Zante and Cephalonia; used in cookery.Definition 2024
currant
currant
English
Alternative forms
Noun
currant (plural currants)
- A small dried grape, usually the Black Corinth grape, rarely more than 4mm diameter when dried.
- The fruit of various shrubs of the genus Ribes, white, black or red.
- A shrub bearing such fruit.
Derived terms
Derived terms
Translations
small dried grape
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fruit
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bush
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