chokecherry

American  

[chohk-cher-ee] / ˈtʃoʊkˌtʃɛr i /

noun

Chiefly Northern U.S.

chokecherries plural

1. any of several cherries, especially Prunus virginiana, of North America, that bear an astringent fruit.

2. the fruit itself.

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chokecherry British  

/ ˈtʃəʊkˌtʃɛrɪ /

noun

1. any of several North American species of cherry, esp Prunus virginiana, having very astringent dark red or black fruit

2. the fruit of any of these trees

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• chokecherries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of chokecherry

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85; choke + cherry

Compare meaning

How does chokecherry compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• chokecherry vs. chokeberry

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chokecherry chokecherries

But it’s important to try, he said, ticking off the reasons: Without restoration and resilience work, this piece of forest will likely convert to shrubland dominated by manzanita, whitethorn and chokecherry.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2023

But with a group of our size, bears could hear us from miles away, and there was no chance of surprising a grizzly in the midst of a chokecherry feast.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 7, 2021

Many look for nectar on dandelion, rabbitbrush, Canada thistle, osier dogwood and chokecherry.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 27, 2021

The sweet aroma of simmering wojape, the Lakota chokecherry dish, time-warps me back to my 6-year-old self.

From New York Times ● Nov. 4, 2019

In return the Blooms had received bottles of homemade chokecherry wine, a leg of mutton, Halloween pumpkins, even hay bales for their two Shetland ponies, Orangutan and Sunflower.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Many of his neighbors did not grow up eating the Indigenous vegetation or the heritage dishes traditionally made from it, like wojapi, a stewed-fruit pudding made with late-summer chokecherries, or venison stew with timpsila.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2023

The bloom is followed by a wave of fruition: blueberries, orange umbels of mountain ash, elderberries, chokecherries, and pine nuts.

From Salon ● Apr. 21, 2019

Wearing a black T-shirt, his long brown hair tied back in a ponytail, Sherman boiled chokecherries until the pits sank to the bottom of the pot and could be easily removed.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 22, 2016

On the top, he sprinkled toasted sunflower, pumpkin and squash seeds and a berry sauce called wojapi, made from fruits like chokecherries, which Mr. Sherman has picked every summer since he was a boy.

From New York Times ● Aug. 16, 2016

Mama had found a patch of chokecherries that were much more luscious than most.

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich