plum1
[pluhm]
- the drupaceous fruit of any of several trees belonging to the genus Prunus, of the rose family, having an oblong stone.
- the tree itself.
- any of various other trees bearing a plumlike fruit.
- the fruit itself.
- a sugarplum.
- a raisin, as in a cake or pudding.
- a deep purple varying from bluish to reddish.
- Informal. an excellent or desirable thing, as a fine position: The choicest plums went to his old cronies.
- Informal. an unanticipated large increase in money or property, as an unexpected legacy; a windfall: The company offered bonuses and other plums.
- Also called displacer. a large stone used in massive concrete construction.
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- extremely desirable, rewarding, profitable, or the like: a plum job in the foreign service.
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Origin of plum1
before 900; Middle English; Old English plūme (cognate with German Pflaume) ≪ Greek proûmnon plum, proúmnē plum tree; cf. prune1
plum2
[pluhm]
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
comfycolormauveplumlilaclavenderperiwinklevioletheliotropepomegranatemulberryamethystmagentawineorchidviolaceousagreeableeasypleasantsoftExamples from the Web for plummer
Contemporary Examples
Plummer, however, said Huawei was still interested in U.S. markets.
Plummer found the film so saccharine that he even developed a nickname for it: “The Sound of Mucus.”
Jim Carrey’s Rant Against ‘Kick-Ass 2’ and 13 Other Stars Who Hate Their Own FilmsMarlow Stern
June 25, 2013
Even though the film is regarded as a classic, Plummer has made it known over the years that he hates the film.
Jim Carrey’s Rant Against ‘Kick-Ass 2’ and 13 Other Stars Who Hate Their Own FilmsMarlow Stern
June 25, 2013
Many, says Plummer, actually pay it at higher rates than Romney.
Who Are the 47 Percent? 7 Facts about the Americans Mitt Romney AttackedKevin Fallon
September 18, 2012
Plummer, a great stage actor who has played nearly every Shakespearean figure, has always been allergic to sentimentality.
Historical Examples
Dr Plummer stared at the boy as if he had been a wild beast.
Tom, Dick and HarryTalbot Baines Reed
To his surprise Dr Plummer did not strike, but returned quietly to his desk.
Tom, Dick and HarryTalbot Baines Reed
“I hoped it would be unnecessary to ask the question twice,” said Dr Plummer.
Tom, Dick and HarryTalbot Baines Reed
Dr Plummer was just about to make a communication when I made my belated entry.
Tom, Dick and HarryTalbot Baines Reed
The plummer was hear twice yisterday and the cutworms is awfle.
The Romance of an Old FoolRoswell Field
plum1
- 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
- a dark reddish-purple colour
- (as adjective)a plum carpet
- informal
- something of a superior or desirable kind, such as a financial bonus
- (as modifier)a plum job
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Word Origin
Old English plūme; related to Latin prunum, German Pflaume
plum2
- a variant spelling of plumb (def. 3), plumb (def. 4), plumb (def. 5), plumb (def. 6)
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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 plummer
plum
n.
Old English plume "plum, plum tree," from an early Germanic borrowing (cf. Middle Dutch prume, Dutch pruim, Old High German pfluma, pfruma, German Pflaume) from Vulgar Latin *pruna, from Latin prunum "plum," from Greek prounon, later form of proumnon, of unknown origin, perhaps from an Asiatic language (Phrygian?). Also cf. prune (n.). Change of pr- to pl- is peculiar to Germanic. The vowel shortened in early modern English. Meaning "something desirable" is first recorded 1780, probably in reference to the sugar-rich bits of a plum pudding, etc.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper