US /ˈtʃɛri/ UK /ˈt͡ʃɛɹi/
noun adj name Freq #4405

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    A small, round, red or dark fruit with a stone in the middle.

    She put a single cherry on top of the cake.

  2. 2
    adj

    Of a bright or deep red colour.

    He drove a shiny cherry red sports car.

  3. 3
    adj

    In excellent or like-new condition.

    He restored the old car until it was in cherry condition.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
2 adj · of a bright or deep red... crimson
Word family
Forms cherries
Derived forms bob-cherrycherpumplecherriedcherry-bombcherry-merrycherry-merry-bamboocherry-pickcherry-pickercherry-pickingcherry-popcherry-poppercherry-popping
Related forms cerisegeankirschmarascamorellomyrobalanoxhearttomatillotommyto

Etymology

From Middle English chery, cherie, chirie, from Anglo-Norman cherise (mistaken as a plural) and Old English ċiris, ċirse (“cherry”), from Proto-West Germanic *kirsijā, from Vulgar Latin ceresia, derived from Late Latin ceresium, cerasium, from Ancient Greek κεράσιον (kerásion, “cherry fruit”), from κερασός (kerasós, “bird cherry”), and ultimately possibly of Anatolian origin (the intervocalic σ suggests a pre-Greek origin for the word). Doublet of cerise, Giresun, and kirsch.

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