Cherry \Cher"ry\, n. [OE. chery, for cherys, fr. F. cerise (cf. AS. cyrs cherry), fr. LL. ceresia, fr. L. cerasus Cherry tree, Gr. ?, perh. fr. ? horn, from the hardness of the wood.]

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 M['e]doc in France).
   (b) The wild cherry; as, Prunus serotina (wild black cherry), valued for its timber; P. Virginiana (choke cherry), an American shrub which bears astringent fruit; P. avium and P. 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 (Zo["o]l.), 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 (C. cerasiforme), with small, scarlet, intensely piquant cherry-shaped fruit.

Cherry pit.
   (a) A child's play, in which cherries are thrown into a hole. --Shak.
   (b) A cherry stone.

Cherry rum, rum in which cherries have been steeped.

Cherry sucker (Zo["o]l.), 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.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)