freestone

American  

[free-stohn] / ˈfriˌstoʊn /

noun

1. a fruit having a stone to which the flesh does not cling, as certain peaches and plums.

2. the stone itself.

3. any stone, as sandstone, that can be freely worked or quarried, especially one that cuts well in all directions without splitting.

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adjective

1. having a stone from which the flesh is easily separated.

freestone British  

/ ˈfriːˌstəʊn /

noun

1. 1. any fine-grained stone, esp sandstone or limestone, that can be cut and worked in any direction without breaking

   2. ( as modifier )

      a freestone house

2. botany

   1. a fruit, such as a peach, in which the flesh separates readily from the stone

   2. ( as modifier ) Compare clingstone

      a freestone peach

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Etymology

Origin of freestone

1250–1300; Middle English freston ( free, stone ); translation of Old French franche piere; frank ¹

Example Sentences

One of two overarching classifications, freestone peaches are the most widely available.

From Salon • Sep. 4, 2021

The common legend is that the freestone fruits came along with a wave of Italian immigrants in the early 1900s.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 10, 2021

Roughly 25 acres are devoted to freestone peaches, so it’s a picker’s paradise.

From Washington Post • Aug. 6, 2021

Sometimes people ask me for recipes and consult on how to tell the difference between a clingstone and freestone peach.

From The Guardian • Sep. 1, 2020

On an old freestone slab in Muncaster Church is the inscription, “Holie Kynge Harrye gave Sir John a brauve workyd glass cuppe ... whyllys the famylie shold keep hit unbrecken thei shold gretelye thrif.”

From Bygone Cumberland and Westmorland by Scott, Daniel