Currant

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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} (Zool.), 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} (Zool.), 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]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  currant
       n 1: any of several tart red or black berries used primarily for
            jellies and jams
       2: any of various deciduous shrubs of the genus Ribes bearing
          currants [syn: {currant bush}]
       3: small dried seedless raisin grown in the Mediterranean
          region and California; used in cooking