greengage
[green-geyj]
- any of several varieties of light-green plums, as Prunus insititia italica.
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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
I have reared fine specimens from caterpillars which fed on greengage.
The Butterflies of the British IslesRichard South
So the two of them bit bites out of every greengage they could reach.
The WouldbegoodsE. Nesbit
Red jam is usually preferred, but greengage is also popular.
The Book of Pears and PlumsEdward Bartrum
The stalks are bladders about the size of a greengage, which enable the plant to float.
Gardening for the MillionAlfred 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
greengage
- a cultivated variety of plum tree, Prunus domestica italica, with edible green plumlike fruits
- the fruit of this tree
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Word Origin
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
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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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper