Cherry n. 1.(Bot.) A tree or shrub of the genus Prunus (Which also includes the plum) bearing a fleshy drupe with a bony stone; (a)The common garden cherry (Prunus Cerasus), of which several hundred varieties are cultivated for the fruit, some of which are, the begarreau, blackheart, black Tartarian, oxheart, morelle or morello, May-duke (corrupted from Médoc in France).
(b)The wild cherry; as, Prunus serotina (wild black cherry), valued for its timber; Prunus Virginiana (choke cherry), an American shrub which bears astringent fruit; Prunus avium and Prunus Padus, European trees (bird cherry).
2.The fruit of the cherry tree, a drupe of various colors and flavors.
3.The timber of the cherry tree, esp. of the black cherry, used in cabinetmaking, etc.
4.A peculiar shade of red, like that of a cherry.
Barbadoes cherry. See under Barbadoes. Cherry bird (Zool.), an American bird; the cedar bird; so called from its fondness for cherries.
Cherry bounce, cherry brandy and sugar.
Cherry brandy, brandy in which cherries have been steeped.
Cherry laurel (Bot.), an evergreen shrub (Prunus Lauro-cerasus) common in shrubberies, the poisonous leaves of which have a flavor like that of bitter almonds.
Cherry pepper (Bot.), a species of Capsicum (Capsicum cerasiforme), with small, scarlet, intensely piquant cherry-shaped fruit.
Cherry pit. (a)A child's play, in which cherries are thrown into a hole.
Cherry rum, rum in which cherries have been steeped.
Cherry sucker (Zool.), the European spotted flycatcher (Musicapa grisola); called also cherry chopper cherry snipe.
Cherry tree, a tree that bears cherries.
Ground cherry, Winter cherry, See Alkekengi.