cherry

[cher-ee] /ˈtʃɛr i/
noun, plural cherries.
1.
the fruit of any of various trees belonging to the genus Prunus, of the rose family, consisting of a pulpy, globular drupe enclosing a one-seeded smooth stone.
2.
the tree bearing such a fruit.
3.
the wood of such a tree.
4.
any of various fruits or plants resembling the cherry.
5.
bright red; cerise.
6.
Slang: Often Vulgar.
  1. the hymen.
  2. the state of virginity.
7.
Slang.
  1. something new or unused.
  2. a novice.
8.
Underworld Slang. a first offender.
9.
Bowling. the striking down of only the forward pin or pins in attempting to make a spare.
adjective
10.
bright-red; cerise.
11.
(of food and beverages) made with or containing cherries or cherrylike flavoring:
cherry pie; cherry soda.
12.
(of furniture, woodwork, etc.) made of or covered or decorated with wood from the cherry tree.
13.
Slang: Often Vulgar. being a virgin.
14.
Slang.
  1. new or unused:
    a three-year-old car in cherry condition.
  2. inexperienced; being an innocent novice.
Origin
1300-50; Middle English cheri variant of chirie, back formation from Old English ciris- (taken for plural) ≪ Vulgar Latin *ceresium for *cerasium (Latin cerasum) < Greek kerásion cherry
Related forms
cherrylike, adjective
Can be confused
chérie, cherry.

Cherry

[cher-ee] /ˈtʃɛr i/
noun
1.
Donald Eugene ("Don") 1936–95, U.S. jazz trumpeter.
Examples from the web for cherry
  • Out went banana, cherry and wintergreen and in came bright blue raspberry, lemon and green apple.
  • cherry picking programs in demand will always provide better results than sustaining a broad set of courses and degrees.
  • So there was no cherry picking there to push up the rate.
  • Many cherry trees were planted to keep people on low incomes happy, and popular theatre flourished.
  • Also, if one eye looks cherry-red while the other is much duller, this asymmetry may hint at a blockage in one eye.
  • But then, the heating element inside turns cherry red, and in short order the edges of the briquettes start to glow.
  • My next project is going to be a fleur box in cherry with some intricate fretwork.
  • So he juxtaposed cherry blossoms with a universal icon: the radiation hazard trefoil.
  • Altering and cherry-picking details is an easy, hollow game for a writer.
  • The sun is high in the sky, a cherry tree is in flower, and the grandfather is out of the poem entirely.
British Dictionary definitions for cherry

cherry

/ˈtʃɛrɪ/
noun (pl) -ries
1.
any of several trees of the rosaceous genus Prunus, such as P. avium (sweet cherry), having a small fleshy rounded fruit containing a hard stone See also bird cherry
2.
the fruit or wood of any of these trees
3.
any of various unrelated plants, such as the ground cherry and Jerusalem cherry
4.
  1. a bright red colour; cerise
  2. (as adjective): a cherry coat
5.
(slang) virginity or the hymen as its symbol
6.
(modifier) of or relating to the cherry fruit or wood: cherry tart
Derived Forms
cherry-like, adjective
Word Origin
C14: back formation from Old English ciris (mistakenly thought to be plural), ultimately from Late Latin ceresia, perhaps from Latin cerasus cherry tree, from Greek kerasios
Word Origin and History for cherry
n.

c.1300, earlier in surname Chyrimuth (1266, literally "Cherry-mouth"); from Anglo-French cherise, from Old North French cherise (Old French, Modern French cerise, 12c.), from Vulgar Latin *ceresia, from late Greek kerasian "cherry," from Greek kerasos "cherry tree," possibly from a language of Asia Minor. Mistaken in Middle English for a plural and stripped of its -s (cf. pea).

Old English had ciris "cherry" from a West Germanic borrowing of the Vulgar Latin word (cf. German Kirsch), but it died out after the Norman invasion and was replaced by the French word. Meaning "maidenhead, virginity" is from 1889, U.S. slang, from supposed resemblance to the hymen, but perhaps also from the long-time use of cherries as a symbol of the fleeting quality of life's pleasures.

Slang definitions & phrases for cherry

cherry

adjective
  1. Virgin; sexually uninitiated: She confessed she was cherry
  2. In an unproved or maiden state of any sort: He hasn't published anything yet; still cherry
modifier

In mint condition; pristine: Mint is what I'm saying. Cherry/ including cherry restorations of Belairs and Fairlanes from the Fifties (1950s+ Hot rodders)

noun
  1. A virgin, of either sex (1935+)
  2. Virginity: Does he still have his cherry? (1928+)
  3. The hymen
  4. An inexperienced soldier sent to the front lines as a replacement: A Cherry who survived long enough earned the right to harass the next rookie (Army)
Related Terms

cop a cherry, have one's cherry, pop someone's cherry

[sexual senses fr the fancied resemblance between the hymen and a cherry]