plum

¹ American  

[pluhm] / plʌm /

noun

1. the drupaceous fruit of any of several trees belonging to the genus Prunus, of the rose family, having an oblong stone.

2. the tree itself.

3. any of various other trees bearing a plumlike fruit.

4. the fruit itself.

5. a sugarplum.

6. a raisin, as in a cake or pudding.

7. a deep purple varying from bluish to reddish.

8. Informal. an excellent or desirable thing, as a fine position.

   The choicest plums went to his old cronies.

9. Informal. an unanticipated large increase in money or property, as an unexpected legacy; a windfall.

   The company offered bonuses and other plums.

10. Also called displacer.  a large stone used in massive concrete construction.

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adjective

plummer, plummest

1. extremely desirable, rewarding, profitable, or the like.

   a plum job in the foreign service.

Plum ² American  

[pluhm] / plʌm /

noun

1. a city in SW Pennsylvania.

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plum ¹ British  

/ plʌm /

noun

1. a small rosaceous tree, Prunus domestica, with white flowers and an edible oval fruit that is purple, yellow, or green and contains an oval stone See also greengage damson

2. the fruit of this tree

3. a raisin, as used in a cake or pudding

4. 1. a dark reddish-purple colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      a plum carpet

5. informal

   1. something of a superior or desirable kind, such as a financial bonus

   2. ( as modifier )

      a plum job

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plum ² British  

/ plʌm /

adjective

1. a variant spelling of plumb plumb plumb plumb

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Other Word Forms

• plumlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of plum

before 900; Middle English; Old English plūme (cognate with German Pflaume ) ≪ Greek proûmnon plum, proúmnē plum tree; prune ¹

Example Sentences

It contained all of Sadako’s favorite foods—an egg roll, chicken and rice, pickled plums, and bean cakes.

From Literature

They taste like plum and lemon peel and salt.

From Literature

He looked around the market in wonder: there were dozens of fruit stalls, with barrows piled with giant plums the size of watermelons and tiny oranges the size of his thumbnail.

From Literature

Fleetwood’s face deepens from pink to plum while the ambassador’s brow knits with confusion.

From Literature

Michael Thurlow, whose family grows peaches, nectarines and plums in California’s San Joaquin Valley, has been a longtime supplier of D’Fresh.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• carrot
• cream