plum

[ pluhm ]
See synonyms for plum on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the drupaceous fruit of any of several trees belonging to the genus Prunus, of the rose family, having an oblong stone.

  2. the tree itself.

  1. any of various other trees bearing a plumlike fruit.

  2. the fruit itself.

  3. a raisin, as in a cake or pudding.

  4. a deep purple varying from bluish to reddish.

  5. Informal. an excellent or desirable thing, as a fine position: The choicest plums went to his old cronies.

  6. Informal. an unanticipated large increase in money or property, as an unexpected legacy; a windfall: The company offered bonuses and other plums.

  7. Also called displacer . a large stone used in massive concrete construction.

adjective,plum·mer, plum·mest.
  1. extremely desirable, rewarding, profitable, or the like: a plum job in the foreign service.

Origin of plum

1
before 900; Middle English; Old English plūme (cognate with German Pflaume) ≪ Greek proûmnon plum, proúmnē plum tree; cf. prune1

Other words from plum

  • plumlike, adjective

Words that may be confused with plum

Other definitions for Plum (2 of 2)

Plum
[ pluhm ]

noun
  1. a city in SW Pennsylvania.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for plum (1 of 2)

plum1

/ (plʌm) /


noun
  1. a small rosaceous tree, Prunus domestica, with white flowers and an edible oval fruit that is purple, yellow, or green and contains an oval stone: See also greengage, damson

  2. the fruit of this tree

  1. a raisin, as used in a cake or pudding

    • a dark reddish-purple colour

    • (as adjective): a plum carpet

  2. informal

    • something of a superior or desirable kind, such as a financial bonus

    • (as modifier): a plum job

Origin of plum

1
Old English plūme; related to Latin prunum, German Pflaume

Derived forms of plum

  • plumlike, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for plum (2 of 2)

plum2

/ (plʌm) /


adjective, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012