currant

American  

[kur-uhnt, kuhr-] / ˈkɜr ənt, ˈkʌr- /

noun

1. a small seedless raisin, of the cultivar Black Corinth, produced chiefly in Greece, and used in cooking and confectionery.

2. the small, edible, acidic, round fruit of certain wild or cultivated shrubs of the genus Ribes.

3. any of various fruit-bearing shrubs of the genus Ribes, including black currant and gooseberry.

4. any of various fruits or shrubs resembling those of the genus Ribes.

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currant British  

/ ˈkʌrənt /

noun

1. a small dried seedless grape of the Mediterranean region, used in cooking

2. any of several mainly N temperate shrubs of the genus Ribes, esp R. rubrum (redcurrant) and R. nigrum (blackcurrant): family Grossulariaceae See also gooseberry

3. the small acid fruit of any of these plants

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Etymology

Origin of currant

First recorded in 1300–50; shortened from Middle English raysons of Coraunte “raisins of Corinth, ” the port in Greece from which they originally came

Explanation

A currant is a small dried fruit, similar to a tiny raisin. Your favorite recipe for Irish soda bread might include grated orange rind and currants. There are two types of fruit that we call currants. The first is a small berry typically used in making jam and jelly, and the second is small variety of raisin made from grapes that are grown in Greece and California. Currants are very common in traditional British cooking, particularly in baked goods like scones and sweets like Christmas pudding. Don't confuse currant with current, which means "in the present." You might say, "Jam? My current favorite is currant!"

Example Sentences

Potato flatbread with spruce sprout pesto and pickled white currant.

From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026

She’s laid out brownies and lemon and currant loaves that she baked hours earlier.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2024

Same with the eight jugs of red currant wine in Susan’s tale that become eight cases of mezcal in Sadie’s and eight bottles of plum brandy in Beckett’s.

From New York Times • May 20, 2024

Dix organized work parties to clear paths and applied for a $2,200 King Conservation District grant to landscape and replant it with native plants — bunchberry, Oregon grape, flowering currant, salal.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 5, 2023

On the other side tangles of flowering currant, lilac, wild rose, and rhododendron closed them in.

From "The Magician's Nephew" by C. S. Lewis