raisin

[ rey-zin ]

noun
  1. a grape of any of various sweet varieties dried in the sun or by artificial means, often used in cooking.

  2. dark purplish blue.

Origin of raisin

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English raisin, reisin, from Old French, from unattested Vulgar Latin racīmus, for Latin racēmus; see raceme

Other words from raisin

  • rai·sin·y, adjective

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

How to use raisin in a sentence

  • Marguerite ate her raisins glaces without taking any more notice of me.

    Camille (La Dame aux Camilias) | Alexandre Dumas, fils
  • Roger groaned—and turned it off with a desperate cough, as though the raisins burnt his throat.

  • They grow some seven and twenty varieties of grape, and the export of raisins to Russia is a very large one.

    The Cradle of Mankind | W.A. Wigram
  • Her eyes looked like raisins in a bun and her mouth had almost disappeared.

    Mary Louise and Josie O'Gorman | Emma Speed Sampson
  • Molly had a gay-looking figure, whose head was a fig, his body a potato, and his legs and arms bunches of raisins.

    Marjorie's Busy Days | Carolyn Wells

British Dictionary definitions for raisin

raisin

/ (ˈreɪzən) /


noun
  1. a dried grape

Origin of raisin

1
C13: from Old French: grape, ultimately from Latin racēmus cluster of grapes; compare Greek rhax berry, grape

Derived forms of raisin

  • raisiny, adjective

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