1. 1. Any of several trees or shrubs of the genus Prunus, especially P. avium or P. cerasus, native chiefly to northern temperate regions and having pink or white flowers and small juicy drupes.
   2. The yellow, red, or blackish fruit of any of these plants.
   3. The wood of any of these plants, especially black cherry.
   4. Any of various plants, such as the Barbados cherry or the cornelian cherry, having fruits resembling a cherry.
2. A moderate or strong red to purplish red.
3. Vulgar Slang. The hymen considered as a symbol of virginity.

1. Containing or having the flavor of cherries.
2. Made of the wood of a cherry tree: a cherry cabinet.
3. Of a moderate or strong red to purplish red.

[Middle English cheri, from Anglo-Norman cherise, variant of Old French cerise, from Vulgar Latin *ceresia, from *cerasia, from Greek kerasiā, cherry tree, from kerasos.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.