greengage

[green-geyj]

noun

any of several varieties of light-green plums, as Prunus insititia italica.

Origin of greengage

1715–25; green + Gage, after Sir William Gage, 18th-century English botanist who introduced such varieties from France circa 1725

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for greengage

Historical Examples of greengage

I have reared fine specimens from caterpillars which fed on greengage.
The Butterflies of the British Isles
Richard South
So the two of them bit bites out of every greengage they could reach.
The Wouldbegoods
E. Nesbit
Red jam is usually preferred, but greengage is also popular.
The Book of Pears and Plums
Edward Bartrum
The stalks are bladders about the size of a greengage, which enable the plant to float.
Gardening for the Million
Alfred Pink
Speaking of the greengage, he says, "its taste is so exquisitely sweet and delicious, that nothing can exceed it."
On the Portraits of English Authors on Gardening,
Samuel Felton

British Dictionary definitions for greengage

greengage

noun

a cultivated variety of plum tree, Prunus domestica italica, with edible green plumlike fruits
the fruit of this tree

Word Origin for greengage

C18: green + -gage, after Sir W. Gage (1777–1864), English botanist who brought it from France

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

Word Origin and History for greengage

from green + name of English botanist Sir William Gage (1657-1727) who first cultivated it in England c.1725.