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chokecherry

[chohk-cher-ee]
noun, plural choke·cher·ries. Chiefly Northern U.S.
  1. any of several cherries, especially Prunus virginiana, of North America, that bear an astringent fruit.
  2. the fruit itself.
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Origin of chokecherry

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85; choke + cherry
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for chokecherry

Historical Examples

  • There are two species of gooseberry here, but neither of them yet ripe: nor are the chokecherry, though in great quantities.

    History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, Vol. I.

    Meriwether Lewis and William Clark

  • The wild black cherry is the most noxious species, and the chokecherry is not far behind it.

  • When Thea first came, the chokecherry bushes were in blossom, and the scent of them was almost sickeningly sweet after a shower.

    Song of the Lark

    Willa Cather

  • It tore aspens and chokecherry bushes out of the ground and left the yuccas hanging by their tough roots.

    Song of the Lark

    Willa Cather

  • Opposite the schoolhouse was a little copse of chokecherry bushes, and we stepped in among them to watch.

    A Busy Year at the Old Squire's

    Charles Asbury Stephens

British Dictionary definitions for chokecherry

chokecherry

noun plural -ries
  1. any of several North American species of cherry, esp Prunus virginiana, having very astringent dark red or black fruit
  2. the fruit of any of these trees
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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