Cherry (ch&ebreve_;rr&ybreve_;), n. [OE. chery, for cherys, fr. F. cerise (cf. AS. cyrs cherry), fr. LL. ceresia, fr. L. cerasus Cherry tree, Gr. kerasos, perh. fr. keras horn, from the hardness of the wood.] 1. (Bot.) A tree or shrub of the genus Prunus (Which also includes the plum) bearing a fleshy drupe with a bony stone; (a) 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) 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).
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2. The fruit of the cherry tree, a drupe of various colors and flavors.
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3. The timber of the cherry tree, esp. of the black cherry, used in cabinetmaking, etc.
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4. A peculiar shade of red, like that of a cherry.
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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.
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