Currant

Currant
Currant Cur"rant (k?r"rant), n. [F. corinthe (raisins de Corinthe raisins of Corinth) currant (in sense 1), from the city of Corinth in Greece, whence, probably, the small dried grape (1) was first imported, the Ribes fruit (2) receiving the name from its resemblance to that grape.] [1913 Webster] 1. A small kind of seedless raisin, imported from the Levant, chiefly from Zante and Cephalonia; -- used in cookery. [1913 Webster]

2. The acid fruit or berry of the {Ribes rubrum} or common red currant, or of its variety, the white currant. [1913 Webster]

3. (Bot.) A shrub or bush of several species of the genus {Ribes} (a genus also including the gooseberry); esp., the {Ribes rubrum}. [1913 Webster]

{Black currant},a shrub or bush ({Ribes nigrum} and {Ribes floridum}) and its black, strong-flavored, tonic fruit.

{Cherry currant}, a variety of the red currant, having a strong, symmetrical bush and a very large berry.

{Currant borer} (Zo["o]l.), the larva of an insect that bores into the pith and kills currant bushes; specif., the larvae of a small clearwing moth ({[AE]geria tipuliformis}) and a longicorn beetle ({Psenocerus supernotatus}).

{Currant worm} (Zo["o]l.), an insect larva which eats the leaves or fruit of the currant. The most injurious are the currant sawfly ({Nematus ventricosus}), introduced from Europe, and the spanworm ({Eufitchia ribearia}). The fruit worms are the larva of a fly ({Epochra Canadensis}), and a spanworm ({Eupithecia}).

{Flowering currant}, {Missouri currant}, a species of {Ribes} ({Ribes aureum}), having showy yellow flowers. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Currant — may refer to: Plants Ribes, genus of berry plants, e.g. blackcurrant, redcurrant Zante currant, dried Black Corinth grapes; smaller than raisins Currant tomato, Solanum pimpinellifolium, small tomato species Currant tree, Amelanchier canadensis,… …   Wikipedia

  • currant — (n.) c.1500, from raysyn of Curans (mid 14c.) raisins of Corinth, with the s mistaken for a plural inflection. From Anglo Fr. reisin de Corauntz. The small, seedless raisins were exported from southern Greece. Then in 1570s the word was applied… …   Etymology dictionary

  • currant — ► NOUN 1) a dried fruit made from a small seedless variety of grape. 2) a shrub producing small edible black, red, or white berries. ORIGIN from Old French raisins de Corauntz grapes of Corinth (the original source) …   English terms dictionary

  • currant — [kʉr′ənt] n. [ME corauns < (reisins of) Coraunce < Anglo Fr ( raisins de) Corauntz, (raisins of) Corinth: orig. imported from Corinth] 1. the raisin of a small, seedless grape (a cultivar of Vitis vinifera) grown in the Mediterranean region …   English World dictionary

  • currant — /kerr euhnt, kur /, n. 1. a small seedless raisin, produced chiefly in California and in the Levant, and used in cookery and confectionery. 2. the small, edible, acid, round fruit or berry of certain wild or cultivated shrubs of the genus Ribes.… …   Universalium

  • currant — UK [ˈkʌrənt] / US noun [countable] Word forms currant : singular currant plural currants 1) a small dark dried fruit often used in cakes a currant bun 2) a small round fruit that may be red, black, or white, and grows on a currant bush currant… …   English dictionary

  • currant — [14] Etymologically, currants are grapes from ‘Corinth’. In the Middle Ages Corinth, in Greece, exported small dried grapes of current 146 particularly high quality, which became known in Old French as raisins de Corinthe ‘grapes of Corinth’.… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • currant — [14] Etymologically, currants are grapes from ‘Corinth’. In the Middle Ages Corinth, in Greece, exported small dried grapes of particularly high quality, which became known in Old French as raisins de Corinthe ‘grapes of Corinth’. This phrase… …   Word origins

  • currant — n. 1 a dried fruit of a small seedless variety of grape grown in the Levant and much used in cookery. 2 a any of various shrubs of the genus Ribes producing red, white, or black berries. b a berry of these shrubs. Phrases and idioms: flowering… …   Useful english dictionary

  • currant — noun Currant is used before these nouns: ↑bun, ↑jelly …   Collocations dictionary

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