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plum

[ pluhm ]
/ plʌm /
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noun
adjective, plum·mer, plum·mest.
extremely desirable, rewarding, profitable, or the like: a plum job in the foreign service.
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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of plum

before 900; Middle English; Old English plūme (cognate with German Pflaume) ≪ Greek proûmnon plum, proúmnē plum tree; cf. prune1

OTHER WORDS FROM plum

plumlike, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH plum

plum , plumb

Other definitions for plum (2 of 2)

Plum
[ pluhm ]
/ plʌm /

noun
a city in SW Pennsylvania.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use plum in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for plum (1 of 2)

plum1
/ (plʌm) /

noun
a small rosaceous tree, Prunus domestica, with white flowers and an edible oval fruit that is purple, yellow, or green and contains an oval stoneSee also greengage, damson
the fruit of this tree
a raisin, as used in a cake or pudding
  1. a dark reddish-purple colour
  2. (as adjective)a plum carpet
informal
  1. something of a superior or desirable kind, such as a financial bonus
  2. (as modifier)a plum job

Derived forms of plum

plumlike, adjective

Word Origin for plum

Old English plūme; related to Latin prunum, German Pflaume

British Dictionary definitions for plum (2 of 2)

plum2
/ (plʌm) /

adjective, adverb
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
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